Kings and Queens
by contraband lollipop
Summary: This is the untold story of the unorthodox bond that Germania and Rome share, from the point of view of Germania, from start to finish.  *Contains gay smut, M-Preg and over all historical liberties.
1. Chapter 1:  The Boy and the Talking Tree

"Gallien! This isn't funny! Where are you?" The little boy ran through the forest as he had lost track of his older sister. They had been sent out into the forest to go find firewood, which had turned into a game, which had then turned into him getting desperately lost.

He stumbled through the words, yelling out his sister's name in hopes she would find him. It would be getting dark within the hour and he wanted to get home soon. Home where it was safe.

"Gallien! I wanna go home!" As the tears came to his face, he tripped on a low branch and landed face first on the ground. Sitting up, he looked down at his knee and started to cry the moment he saw the blood. It didn't hurt as much as he made it sound, but he was in a complete panic.

"Are you ok?" came a little voice from behind a tree.

Immediately he stopped crying and looked around. Where had it come from? There was no one else around. "W-Who said that?" He sniffled and tried to wipe away the tears.

"I did of course!" It came from the large tree in front of him. Was the tree talking…? It seemed like it.

"What's y-your name?" he asked, getting even more scared.

"Romulus! What's yours?" said the tree.

"I-I'm…" He was too scared to say his name to the talking tree.

"Well, spit it out!" Instead of the tree talking, a head popped out from the side. Another little boy, just a bit older than the other walked over to him and inspected the knee. "That looks like it hurts. Here! I'll fix it!" Taking his own clothes, he wiped the knee clean and wrapped it with a bit of tunic and kissed it gently. "Mama Lupa says that kisses make the pain go away, but her kisses are licks and I don't lick."

The blond boy didn't say a word the entire time, but just watched the boy dress his little wound.

"Well, I got to go home now. I'll see you later!" With that, he ran back into the woods leaving the boy alone again.

Before he could say anything, the familiar voice of his sister echoed through the woods.

"There you are! I thought I lost you!" She grabbed his arm and helped him to stand. "Lets go home. We have the firewood we need." Before he could respond, she dragged him through the forest back to their little tent on the outskirts of the forest.

"Maman! We're home!" she shouted at the top of her lungs as they got closer.

"I was starting to get worried about you two. I am glad you're home safe." Their graceful mother picked up the little boy and cuddled him close. Her bright eyes caught notice of the makeshift bandage on his knee. "What happened my love?"

He hugged her tightly around her neck and rested his head on his shoulder, starting to drift off from the stressful day. "I scraped my knee. . . Romulus put a bandage on it. . ." With a yawn to finish his sentence, he was out like a light.

His mother Gaia, only looked at the bandage before taking it off and discarding it into the fire. With that, he took him inside their small tent to put him to rest, to let him sleep off the events of the day.


	2. Chapter 2: Augustus and Ulricus

"I completely refuse to associate myself with that pervert on any level." The longhaired nation was composed even as he was preparing himself to throw a fit.

"Rome can either prove to be a powerful ally or enemy and for the sake of our people, we would prefer the former." His boss didn't seem to care what Germania thought of the Roman, he was their diplomat and it was his job to make sure his people had good relations. With that his boss left the tent, leaving the nation alone with his thoughts.

Instead of actually keeping to his word and throwing the fit, Germania threw his armor and weapons onto the floor. Tomorrow he would have to travel to that empire and hopefully create some kind treaty between the two. The last thing he needed was another enemy on another front.

Puling his hair free from the tie, he laid down on his animal skin bed and covered himself completely. He was still relatively young compared to what he would become in later years.

Before the sun even began to rise, Germania was ready and packed for his trip to Rome. It would be just him that would make this journey, something that did not sit well with him.

"Wait!"

Germania looked around in the growing light to see a small child run up to him. "You can't go! I didn't get to say goodbye yet!"

Kneeling down to her eye level, he smiled softly at the girl. "Leave without saying good bye to you Aveza? I wouldn't dream of it." The little girl had always followed him since she could walk and he didn't mind.

Her small hands reached up and pulled out a small string of beads, which she tied to the end of his braid. "You better come back or I'll come down to Rome and find you!"

The nation chuckled softly and patted her head softly. "Of course. I'll be back before you know it." Getting up on his horse, he headed to the south, to the home of that disgusting pervert.

As he rode all he could about was their first meeting. Instead of asking for his name, Rome just groped him. Was this how all Romans greeted people? They were a lewd and disgusting people either way.

After spending most of the day traveling, he finally made it to the city, awestruck by it's beauty. It was much different than he had expected it to be. He had assumed it would just be a few buildings but no. . . It was huge, with beautiful stone buildings and paved roads. What kind of world had he entered into?

As he made his way through the streets, the people parted for him, but not for the reasons he thought. Most of the inhabitants stared at him as he passed. His green eyes scanned the masses, trying to figure out why they were so fascinated with him. He assumed it to be the fact that he looked so different compared to their lavish clothes. All he wore was a plain green tunic with brown leggings and a cloak, suitable for the late summer months.

Before he could get too deep into the city, a young boy ran up to his horse and bowed before him. "Germania? I take you to Rome," he spoke in a choppy accent, indicating that he was not a native speaker of the Germanic language. Germania nodded to the boy and slowly followed him to his destination.

Arriving at the most lavish and gaudy house of them all, Germania dismounted and was greeted by a plump man. It seemed that Rome had gotten much bigger and much uglier since their last visit. "Salve!" he greeted him with a smile and a hearty laugh.

Before Germania had time to react, his horse was whisked away, and he was taken inside. He had no time to even say his greeting or even know what 'salve' meant. Soon they were taken to a large room, draped with colorful linens from the ceiling and the echoes of female giggling. On the reclining couch sat the young Roman Empire with much more than a handful of women surround him, fanning him and feeding him grapes. A few others were just fawning over him and giggling at his motions or words.

"Brought me a new woman Aetius. That is so kind," said the roman in his own language. He had not even looked up from his little love fest to look at the new comer.

"Sir, this is the representative from the Germanic tribes. She has come to negotiate a treaty between the two nations." The fat man just bowed and walked away

Germania had no idea that his gender had been confused, again, for that of a woman.

"Fine fine. Ladies, I think this will have to wait a little while. I'll be quick I promise." With that he turned his back to the blond and the boy, shooing off the women. "This better be worth my time." In his dark red toga he stood up and turned around, locking eyes with the Germanic nation.

"I am here to negotiate a pact that will make our two nations allies," Germania spoke at Rome but the boy translated those words into Latin so that the brunette could understand, but there was no reply. Not even a hint was given that he had even listened to those words.

Rome's eyes were just fixated on his long blonde hair. Reaching out for it, he spoke to the boy and wrapped his fingers around a few strands.

"He say your hair looks of gold." The boy almost seemed jealous of the attention Germania was getting.

The hand was quickly slapped away from the hair as Germania pushed Rome back. He was not in the mood to get groped again. "Lecherous ass!" With that he took a few steps back, irritated as hell.

A few words were exchanged between the boy and the roman, even a few giggles before the boy finally filled in what they had been saying. "Says you are feisty woman."

Woman? Germania turned to the little kid to yell at him when that same hand that had been playing with his hair reached down and squeezed his package tightly. The expression on Rome's face went from one of curiosity to that of remembrance.

"I remember yo-! Ack!" Before Rome could finish his sentence, a fist connected with his cheek and sent him stumbling back a few feet.

It was an understatement to say that Germania felt absolutely violated from that. It took everything he had not to storm out and head back home to where he felt safe. As he stood, rubbing his fist from the forceful punch, the other two went to talking again.

"You stay as guest in Rome until you leave." The boy said with a bow and left to two alone.

Great, Now Germania was alone in with the lecherous Roman. For a few silent awkward minutes, they just stared at each other, none making the first move.

It was the roman that spoke first.

"Meus nomen est Augustus." He pointed to his chest and smiled. Even Germania couldn't disagree with the fact that he was handsome.

"Augustus." Again, he pointed to his chest before pointing to the other. "Quod vos?"

"Ulrich." With his reply Augustus smirked and motioned for the other to follow. Hesitantly he did as he was told to do.

Through the glorious rooms of the house, Germania was fascinated with every single thing. The art on the walls was astounding, the tile on the floors. . . even something as simple as a pillar was breathtaking to the foreigner. Soon he was led to a room, large and decadent. Germania assumed that it belonged to Rome but nothing indicated that.

Before he had time to fully inspect the room, he was thrown a piece of clothing. Germania caught the white linens and inspected them. Just then his tunic was being yanked up in hopes to undress him. Dropping the clothes to the floor, he pushed back Rome, getting even closer to abandoning his task.

The lecherous hands picked up the dropped clothing and held it out to him again. "Toga." He pointed to his own red one and smiled. Germania took the clothing and just stared at him.

"Go so I can undress." Germania frowned at Rome, but he just stayed and continued to smile. Making a turning motion, Rome figured out what he was supposed to do and turned around, not moving. It seemed he wasn't going to get the hint. With a swift kick out of the room, the door was slammed in his face before he could try and get back inside.

For most of the time Germania was alone in the room, he just stared at the toga, not understanding a thing about it. It looked so heavy, and ridiculous. How did this ever become a fashion statement. Stripping off his own clothes, he slowly got dressed, using the trial and error method until he got it right.

"Ulricus~?" came Rome's voice from behind the door. It was opened and the Roman's eyes lit up the moment he saw the other wearing his clothing. A steady stream of Latin flew from his tongue as he complimented the appearance of his new barbarian friend. But a few last touches were in store. Draping a green cloth over his shoulder, down by his waist and then again on the same shoulder, Germania felt just as ridiculous as Rome.

Once again, he was taken away through the house, though this time Rome was much more vocal. He kept talking about things through out the whole house.

'How long will it take him to realize that I don't understand a thing?' Germania thought as they explored the whole house. Finally after that tour, he was brought back to the room that he had first met Rome, but this time it was filled with more people, also in ridiculous toga, though only Rome had a colored toga.

As the two entered the room, the entire attention of the room was on Germania. It finally hit him. He had been so used to seeing blond hair that it had not occurred to him that no one he had seen in Rome had hair that was even remotely as bright as his. Soon whispers went through out the group as they all talked and stared at the strange hair. It didn't matter to Germania that they were talking about him anyways. He couldn't understand a thing that they were saying in the first place.

Rome grabbed his pale hand and brought him to the couch he had been reclining on earlier forcing him down on it. The entire group of people crowded around him and looked in amazement. Germania couldn't help but feel like he was being put on display, like an animal that was brought out for show. Pushing all the hands away he stood up, an annoyed frown on his face. "I refuse to be treated like this! I came to sign a pact not be treated like this!" Without any more words, he left the room and headed for bed, planning on getting some kind of rest before returning home.

As he laid in his bed, Germania was sound asleep through the night, and that was to be broken soon. From the party that was still raging on, Rome opened the guest's door slowly, making sure not to make a sound. His smile was unusually bright as he planned on getting off for another time that night. With the smell of alcohol very clear on his breath, he leaned over the sleeping body and planted a sloppy drunk kiss on those lips.

It was easy to say that woke Germania up almost instantly. "What the hell?" Even thought he was still slightly asleep, he kicked off the Roman and glared at him, but that didn't stop the very horny man. As he stood up to go at it again, Germania pulled out his sword that he had kept near the bed and unsheathed it, hoping to intimidate him, but that didn't work.

"Est magnae Ulricus." Rome, not being very bright when drunk, grabbed the blade and began to stroke it, thinking it was something else entirely. Wasn't much of a surprise that he cut his hand.

"You're an idiot." Germania set down the sword and grabbed the bleeding hand, wiping the blood away to inspect the cut. He ignored whatever the Roman was muttering, finding it annoying that he never shut up. Ripping off a part of the sheets, he gently wrapped the hand and frowned at Rome, but it didn't last long. As he looked at the drunk, something didn't feel right with him. The more he studied that face, the more pleasing it was to look at. His skin was so young and tan, and even though he was severely impaired, his eyes were bright.

Rome looked at the dressing and smiled. "Gratias. Tu mulier quaedam." Leaning forward, he kissed the cheek of the man and started to play with his hair again.

Instead of pushing him away again, Germania just sat there, letting the roman play with his hair. If he was to please his boss and make good on making a treaty, he would have to let Rome do what he wanted for right now.

After a while the hand retreated and the body moved into the bed. Was he seriously thinking of sleep-! Wait! Was this Rome's room? Only he would have the audacity to do this sort of thing. It took everything he had not to lash out and kick him out of the bed. Instead he just sighed and leaned up against the wall, holding the sword close in case anything would happen again. Pulling his legs up, he rested his forehead on his knees and finally fell asleep.

( Translations in Latin:

Salve- Hello

Meus nomen est Augustus- My name is Augustus

Quod vos- And yours?

Est magnae- This is very big

Gratias. Tu mulier quaedam- Thank you. You are a kind woman.

Forgive me if they are not correct. It's hard to find a decent latin translator online. )


	3. Chapter 3: An Unforgivable Act

It had been three weeks since Germania had entered in the gates of the capital of Rome. He hadn't decided if he was still there because he was forced to stay or he wanted to. So many things had happened since he had first arrived. After much negotiation, he finally had his own room, and though it was much smaller and modest than Rome's room, he preferred it.

It even seemed that Rome had forgotten the whole attempt made the first night. He didn't even put a second thought to the fact that he had woken up next to a battle ready Germania. It was hard to believe that he had been the one that had defeated the Suebi tribe.

Germania quite enjoyed the solidarity and peace of the Roman's garden. It seemed that it was the only part of the city that was closed off to every one else. In the period of time he had spent there, he had learned a bit of the language, the culture, and even fighting tactics. Rome had no qualms about sharing his culture wit the blond barbarian.

Soon the peace of the garden was interrupted.

"Do you like it?" Rome asked slowly, trying to let his guest practice Latin.

"Ja, I mean, ita." It was still hard for him to instantly reply back in the strange language. Thankfully Rome seemed to be picking up on Germania's as well.

"This is my favorite place in the house." He took a seat next to the blond again, as now it was almost becoming a ritual, he reached out to play with the golden locks. "It's totally private to the rest of the house."

Totally private as in it was harder to see from any vantage point. "Again I refuse to do anything intimate with you." Germania only frowned at him with a threatening look in his eyes. He was not in the mood for Rome's advances.

"Oh come on. Just the one time. After that I will leave you alone." He pushed the braid out of the way and leaned in to kiss that pale cheek. A punch to the stomach stopped him from moving closer.

"I already told you I believe sex is a thing meant for those married! I refuse to have sex with you, ever." The roman frowned and sat with his hands in his lap, as he knew he had been stopped in his tracks. He didn't want to admit but Germania was the only one to ever do so, with success.

For a few silent moments, Rome rubbed the bruise forming on his stomach from the punch. He needed to change the subject if his barbarian friend was going to spend more time with him. Sanding up, he tugged on the pale hand, trying to get him to follow.

"Come with me. I want to show you some of the statues."

Unfortunately for Germania, Rome would not stop nagging unless he agreed. "Fine, but it better not be a waste of time." Like the obedient dog he was becoming, he trailed behind the great empire. He could only pick up a few words here and there, due to him talking so fast in that fluid language. Words blended together, making it hard to tell what he was saying. He was able to learn the names of his gods. Jupiter, Mars, though Rome spent a very long time explaining Venus and how he had been blessed by her. There was a certain small statue that caught Germania's eye, almost completely covered by a bush as it had been severely neglected. "What is this one?"

Rome looked at it, very good at hiding the emotions that surfaced just by looking at the old carved stone. "We have a legend of the founders of my empire." He smiled as he cleared away the bush's woody grip. "Romulus and Remus were given to the wolf Capitoline after their mother deemed herself unfit to raise the pair. The she-wolf happily raised the two as if she had bore them herself. Soon the two became fully grown and had two separate ideas of how to raise and run an empire. A fight ensued and the older of the two, Remus, was killed. The people under the rule of Romulus loved him so much they named their great city after him."

Germania watched the Roman's expressions more than the statue. It was almost as if he told the story from his life memory.

"Romulus. . ."

The roman paused as he heard the name.

"What became of him?" Germania asked inquisitively.

"He died a long time ago." The look in Rome's eyes begged for a subject change.

Germania easily took the hint. "In my land we have a story of a wolf as well. Though it does not have the same happy ending as yours."

"You make it sound as if wolves are a bad thing," said Rome as he pouted at hearing his beloved animal being made into the villain.

"When you don't live in splendor like this, they are an enemy of the night. They go after your sheep, and your cattle, and your children if they are out too late at night." Germania's usual frown graced his face as he told the Roman of his hardships.

Rome frowned and reached out for the hair again. "Don't be such a drama queen."

Drama queen? Germania was getting seriously irritated with these annoying feminine jokes. Though before he could say anything about it, a small dark haired child ran through the garden to Rome.

"Baba!" He wrapped his small arms around those legs as best che could. Rome picked up the child and happily hugged him. They looked so much like one another, Germania could only assume they wee related.

"I thought you were supposed to be studying," said the nation as he held the child. He brushed the nose across the smaller one and let out a small chuckle.

"It was boring so I came to see the bestest baba in the whole world!"

"You know better than to skip on your studies~ But I am glad you're here." Rome caught sight of Germania, who was content with just observing. "I forgot my manners, can you greet our guest properly mi amo?"

The boy instantly straightened up as best he could and gave a salute. "Merhaba! My name is Sadiq and I am the oldest son of the great Roman Empire. It's nice to meet a pretty lady like you."

Germania instantly frowned but thanked the boy. "D-Danke." Stupid Romans and their damn inability to differentiate genders.

"Do you have any children of your own Germanicus?" asked the Roman. Sadiq perked up at the thought of having a playmate.

"Nein."

"Do you want some~?" Rome waggled his eyebrows and puckered his lips, moving in for a smooch. His attempt was stopped by a pale hand that pushed the man's face away.

"I told you, I am not interested by your advances." Germania frowned at him but their was no hate in his words, no convictions behind them.

"Baba, why is she so grumpy?"

"Because she doesn't get laid mi amo. No sex makes one grumpy." As soon as he finished those words, a sharp punch connected with his stomach. "Oof!" He nearly doubled over but he forced himself to stay up. "Owwie~! I thought you. . . Germanicus?"

Germania was gone, going back to his room to blow off hot air. He had meant to go home but the Roman had insisted on him staying, so that is what he did. As night began to descend on the city, it lit up like the stars in the night sky. Almost every home still had a candle burning. He sat at the window, content with the thoughts of returning home. By first light tomorrow he would be back on the road home. Just as he was losing himself in his thoughts, a knock came at the door. "Come in."

The curly haired Roman poked his head into the room, only to be greeted by a frown. "I just put Sadiq down and I thought I would say goodnight."

"There, you said it, now go," replied the German as he looked out onto the city.

But Rome did not leave. In face, he only moved closer and sat down next to him. "It's beautiful at night but I have seen more beautiful things."

A hand reached out and grabbed a small part and kissed those golden locks. How much he longed for that hair in his hands as they made love. "Admit it. You love me."

"Fine. Ja. I do," said Germania without batting an eyelash.

"Really?"

"Nein."

For the millionth time since Germania arrived, Rome had been shot down. He couldn't understand why the German didn't want him. Men and women flocked to his doorstep to be pleased by the great Roman Empire and here was this man, a guest in Rome's house, privy to anything he wanted and he consistently denied him. "Why do you keep doing that to me Ulricus?" He softly asked, curious as to why he would not give in.

Germania just sighed and knew he couldn't avoid this question. "Sex is not something I take lightly. It is a reseved act for those married. It is a completely intimate experience, not this, public affair you make it to be."

Rome softly exhaled and looked into those beautiful green eyes. He tanned hand slowly reached up and touched the pale cheek. To his surprise, it wasn't swatted away. With much patience, he moved his face closer to Germania's before their lips finally touched.

Germania's heart exploded as their lips met. His body seemed to melt under the power of the Roman. Without thinking, he softly kissed back, slowly growing in passion to keep up with the other.

Rome had him where he wanted. The chaste kiss technique always worked without fail and this time was no exception. Before Germania could protest, he planned on having him scream out his name in bed. Wrapping his arms around the waist of the blond, he picked him up and deposited him on the bed.

Instantly Germania pulled away from the kiss and tried to push him off. "St-Stop." He was still breathless from the kiss. "No. . . sex."

"No, I will have what I want," replied the Roman as he pushed up that faded green tunic. He ran his fingers along the sharp muscle lines, feeling every groove and dip. Oh how he had longed for this moment. Almost as if on cue, a punch flew towards his face, but it was easily stopped.

"Let me go."

"No." The foreplay resumed and soon the legs began to kick in hopes it would get the man off of him.

"You really are feisty."

As the touching continued, Germania was torn. This was something he knew was wrong, but it made his body explode. The more it continued, the more his body needed it. Before he knew it, his tunic was on the hard ground and those hot lips where on his chest. A hot tongue swirled around his nipple, and soon there was a tingle down in his loins. It was something he hadn't honestly felt before like this.

No. No. This was completely wrong. He needed to get out of there. Germania quickly sat up and tried to go away. Rome's hands held onto the legs to keep him from going.

"Stay mi amo. I'm not done," Rome smirked as he moved down to the trousers, not taking the time to undo them, instead ripping them off the pale body. It was again that the struggle resumed, but then again this was nothing new to Rome. He didn't care anyways, this is what he wanted. "Just relax, I'll be done soon." With that, he spread the legs of the blond and pulled up his shorted toga, revealing his already hard vitals.

This is not what Germania wanted and he was not about to allow the Roman to get away with this. He tried to pull his hands free but the grip on them was strong. "Augustus, stop!" But it was in vain, no matter how many times he pulled his legs together they were just be spread again. Rome moved in between the legs to keep them from closing. With his free hand, he grabbed those hips and raised them up to bring them closer to his throbbing erection.

"Don't you dare! Stop it Rome!" Germania yelled at him and tried even harder to get away but it was no use.

"Don't lie, you know you want this. Now let me do what I do best mi amo." With that he lined himself up and pushed into the tight cavity.

The intrusion caused Germania to yell out, as this was something completely new to him, and he did not like it at all. His body tried to move away but there was no way to escape. "A-Ah!"

It was then the thrusts began. They were slow and soft, almost as if Rome was giving Germania time to adjust, but it didn't seem to help. As the heat grew around them, the moans became louder and the pleas to stop grew less frequent. Opening up his eyes, all he could see in the dark was the body above him, moving back and forth as the thrusts in intensified. It was intoxicating to watch the fluid movement but in Germania's mind, he knew this was wrong. As much as his body wanted it, his mind knew it was wrong

"I s-said stop…!" softly cried out the German, but that only seemed to encourage Rome as he suddenly quickened the pace. His mouth hung open in a silent moan as his body became numb, completely overwhelmed by the sensation. Then came a completely new feeling.

"Ngh! Yes!" screamed out the Roman as he finally finished. Germania let out a soft noise as he was completely filled by Rome. Even after Rome pulled away, he did nothing but lay there, his body still confused by the senses he was still feeling. The other fell down on the bed and was already asleep.

What had he done? Germania had allowed him, no. He refused to believe that he had let Rome have his way with him. He had fought for him to stop. Yeah… It was all Rome's fault. Slowly sitting up, he looked down at the sleeping body, completely confused. He both loved and despised the Roman. All he wanted to do was hurt him, yet, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Walking over to the scattered clothing, Germania put back on his green tunic and a new pair of trousers, seeing how Rome had ripped the last pair. In the dead of night he left the city alone and completely disgraced, finally on the road home


	4. Chapter 4: Nine Months

It had only been about a month since Germania had left his village. In the time he had been gone, a new building had been constructed to make way for a new family. Harvest had already been completed and the first snow had begun falling. With his return came a huge celebration in the village. All were excited to see the return of the man that came to represent their people. The fattest boars in Teutoburg Forest that could be found were slaughtered and roasted for the feast.

The Germanic people danced the night away in celebration, feasting and talking. As Germania sat at the makeshift table, watching the women participate in a ritual dance, a tugging sensation came from his waist. Looking down, it was none other than the little girl that had bid him farewell that cold morning.

"Hallo Aveza," He said down at her. He received a smile and the motion that she wanted to sit on his lap. Having a soft spot for children, he picked her up and set the shy child down on his knee. It felt good to be home.

"Did you have a good time?" she asked politely.

"Ja, but I missed being here so I came back." Germania was good at lying. He hadn't told a soul about what had happened that last night he had been in Rome, and it was going to stay that way.

As yet another round of boar meat was passed around, Germania filled his plate with enough for him and the little girl, not minding to share. As he lifted a piece of dark meat to his lips to bite, a disgusting smell came suddenly and he put the meat down. As he did so the smell left. Confused, he picked it up again to take a bite but the smell sent him back. Before he had time to get up and remove himself from the party, he vomited the contents of his stomach onto the ground. Instantly the party stopped and all eyes were on their Nation, to see if he was ok. Aveza was whisked away from his lap as the elders held onto him for support.

"I-I'm fine, bitte. Don't worry about me." He straightened himself up and headed back to his home. The little shack had collected dust while he had been gone, no longer did he live with his siblings to care for the house while one was gone. Gallien had moved to the west and Scandia had stayed north.

As Germania sat in his bed, lost in his thoughts, the gagging feeling returned, ready for a second round. Grabbing a bucket, he prevented the vomit from hitting the dirt ground and leaned over it. By the time he was done throwing up, he was sweating and dying for a drink. As if sent by the Gods, the village priestess entered the small home.

"Germanien, may I enter?" she asked holding a cup of water. She was given permission with a quick nod. He reached out for the cup and quickly drank its contents, wanting to get the taste out of his mouth. "Some think the Roman poisoned you."

"He has no reason to get rid of me. The last thing he would want to do is poison me." It felt good to be speaking his own language again.

"You haven't talked much about him or the city since you came back." She took the empty cup and gently tucked his hair out of the way of his mouth.

"This city is big and advanced and his people have sex anywhere and everywhere. What else should I tell you Gyel?" he softly asked to her. He couldn't bring himself to tell her or anyone else Rome's kiss, or the fact that he was no longer…

Standing up from the bed, Gyel smiled at him and pointed to the bed. "Sleep. You need your rest if we are to extract the demon Rome placed in your body." She grabbed the bucket before leaving to empty it and return it to his side in case it were to happen again.

By the time two and a half months rolled around, Germania was feeling back to his normal self. He had spent a few weeks sick, but it quickly faded. The winter had been fierce this year and there was no way of predicting when it would end. All they could do was fight through it.

Returning to the village with a few of the other men, they carried the spoils of the hunt, large deer and a few birds that had stayed behind. They were greeted by their family members, a few carrying water cups for them to drink. Even though he was a man of few expressions, he smiled at the women, grateful for their help.

"We will be feasting well for a while," he said, handing back the cup to the women. He let them take the bodies to skin and dry the meat while he would go to the village elders. As he passed by a home that was baking bread for the evening meal, the smell made him feel that dreadful urge to vomit once more. The pure white snow was tainted with what he had involuntarily expulsed from his body.

"Germanien!" Again the men of the village came to his aid to help their fellow warrior.

"Nein. It's nothing," he forced out as he slowly stood up, but no one listened to him this time. An elder woman quickly sent the young nation to his hut to rest while she called the priestess. By the time she had arrived, Germania was feeling back to himself again. The sick feeling was gone. "Let me be, Gyel. I am fine."

She gave him the old hands on the hip treatment and kept him down on the bed. "We'll see what the gods have to say to this." From her pouch came a handful of sacred willow twigs. Tossing them up in the air, they landed on the floor in only a pattern she could read. After studying them, she shooed away all the males and called for one of the other women of the village. Germania instantly recognized the old woman as the best midwife the village ever had, but why would her services be needed for a man? They whispered to each other for a few minutes before he was approached by the women.

"Stand and strip," she said assertively. Germania knew better than to argue so he did as he was told. The windows were covered, giving him and the two women complete privacy. Even he could agree it felt odd to be standing in front of two women in such a manner.

For minutes they just seemed to stare when the old one cupped his stomach. She carefully pressed into his skin at different angles before finally seeming to agree with herself on the prognosis. "It seemed that the gods were right," she said to Gyel before leaving.

Germania was given the chance to redress before he was finally told what was happening.

"You're pregnant Germanien and if the willow branches are right, it is a boy."

He looked at her with astonishment. This was completely impossible! Men didn't get pregnant! But then again he was a nation and thus the laws of normal humans did not apply to him. "Those damned sticks are wrong! I am not pregnant!" he cried out. It seemed now… Now it would no longer be a secret that he had been bedded by the Roman.

"Even the midwife confirmed it Germanien. You are pregnant and it will be a strong boy." With that, she left the hut, leaving Germania alone with his thoughts.

How… How could this have happened? He placed a hand on his stomach, the same place the midwife had and attempted to feel for his unborn child, but being inexperienced, he had no idea how to look for it. After a few attempts, he gave up and laid back down on the bed. Morning sickness could explain why he had been sick since he had returned from Rome.

Rome. Germania pondered about the nation, wondering if he should tell him about the child. Tell him that he had yet another child on the way. A message to tell him that he was the father of yet another nation.

No. It would be best to leave Rome out of the picture. He didn't have to know about the child. This was to be Germania's burden and his alone.

As the months passed his stomach grew and his mind more weary. For days he would ask himself the same questions; How would he raise the child? What would his people think of him? Would Rome ever find out? It slowly exhausted him. In the final weeks of the pregnancy, he had become bedridden. He spend all day in his home, waited on by which ever of the village had volunteered. The summer sun crept into his home, taunting the blond.

Finally, that day came. Just as the sun set on a hot day, the pain began to surge through his body. He thought it was just another moment of sickness and thought nothing of it. Instead he hid the pain and never complained. Through out the night it only got worse. He tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable but the pain would not go away. By the morning it had intensified. Still he refused to say a thing. It was that night that gave him away. In his small amounts of sleep, he could not hide the groans of pain that came from his body.

"Germanien." He was startled awake by the sound of his name and a hand gently shaking his shoulder.

"Was?" he sleeping asked.

"It's time. Your body is ready." It was the old mid-wife who had gotten everything ready. All that was missing was Germania's consciousness.

His heart pounded out of his chest. It was the moment he had been dreading. He had only been outside a hut during the childbirth process but even he knew it sounded painful. Sitting up as best he could on the bed, blankets and pillows were placed behind him, to give him some sort of padding. Old and tarnished linens were placed by his legs, this clearly being their last use. Germania leaned his head back on the padding as a sudden surge of pain rippled up his body.

"A-Ah! Scheiße…" He groaned out and grabbed onto his bed sheets. There was no one there to hold his hand, to be there to comfort him. This he had to do on his own. Through out the day and the night, the pain stayed the same except for the moments his body tensed. They were getting stronger and closer together. The next day passed, and still there was no child. As the sun set in the west, a rush of fluids exited his body and was soaked up by the blankets. It was then that the midwives moved around him more closely.

It was time for the baby to come.

"This is very important. With the next contraction to need to push," said the old woman as she rubbed her cold hands.

Almost as if on cue, the contraction came, causing Germania to scream out. He could tell by the flock of people outside that all were interested in what would become of their great nation. For now, he didn't care. All that he was focused on was getting the baby out.

As the hours progressed into the night, Germania did as he was told and pushed with all his might. The strands of his hair began to stick to his face as sweat profusely from the strain. The grip on the bed never loosened.

"Baby is crowing. Push harder Germanien. You are almost there!" cried Gyel. It was clear on her face that she was excited.

The encouragement was what he needed. With the next contraction, he gave it everything he had left and the sound of the crying infant could be heard as they finally entered the world. The midwife cleaned him up quickly and cut the cord, wrapping him tightly in a blanket before he was presented to his parent. The exhausted young man reached for the tiny baby and gently held him. He was so tiny. The ends of his pure white hair still stuck to his head as he was still a bit messy from the birthing process. Even though he was in a safe place, he still continued to cry. Only the sound of his mother softly speaking to him seemed to calm him.

"Shh. Ich bin hier, Kleiner. Nicht weinen." Germania held him close to his chest, grateful that those long nine months were now finally over.

The old linens were taken to a fire pit to be burned, the precaution that was taken to keep away the wolves and other animals of the night.

"He needs a name," Gyel spoke softly as she covered up the exhausted man. "We will present his name to the gods tomorrow at the river once your strength has returned." With that, she left the two to bond as the sun rose on another day.

Germania was intoxicated by the tiny baby to say the least. It was impossible for him to deny that there was already a bond between the two. The more he studied the child's features, the more they burned into his mind. The baby was his… and his alone. "What name shall I give to you then? It shall have to be a strong one for you are the son of a nation."

The baby opened his pale eye lids, looking at his parent with the bright red eyes, as if to say 'I'm tired,' Germania took the hint and moved the pillows and blankets to lay down. Both were asleep within seconds, close to each other under the thin blanket. They would need their rest.

By noon the child was fussy, ready for his first food. He squirmed in his tight wrappings and was only noticed by the new parent when he began to cry. Instantly Germania sat up and picked up the child, not knowing how to soothe or calm him.

An urn, set on the table instantly took the Nation's attention. He quickly moved off the bed and grabbed it, placing the small hole by the baby's lips, mimicking what he had seen the women do to their own children. The child hungrily sucked on the end of it and began to feast on his first meal.

Knock came on the door. Once gaining Germania's permission the priestess looked inside and nodded at them. "It is time Germanien."

He gave her a quick nod before she left. Once the baby was done drinking his fill, he happily went back to sleep, not knowing what would lay in store for him. As Germania left his house, most people in the village were gone. No sign pointed to where they were. He found them at the river's edge. A ritual that was only supposed to involve the family of the child, the entire village had decided to attend the event. Germania was confused to why they were there. Had they shown up because they were there to support him, or did them come out of morbid curiosity? He handed the child off to Gyel and whispered something into her ear.

The priestess, having done this many times before walked out onto the dock and held up the naked child to the sky. Her eyes were closed, almost as if the gods spoke through her. "This child, if he shall pass the tests given to him by the goddesses of fate, shall be triumphant through the ages and never falter." With that she dipped him into the ice cold water, like one would cool a hot iron, to see if he could pass the first test. The child cried at the cold, showing off his well developed lungs. She walked back to the people and held out the child, still crying in search of comfort, presenting him to village. "I give you, Gilbert, son of our great Germanien!" The village cheered and cried out in joy.

Germania looked at them all in disbelief. His fears had been misplaced. They didn't shun him, they had accepted him and the child. He took his son back and wrapped him in the animal skins to warm him up once more. For once in the nine months since he had left Rome, he was ready for this.


	5. Chapter 5: The Perversion of Rome

Years had passed since Germania had been to the lavish city. Gilbert had slowly grown compared to the boys whom he had played with. As they all reached maturity and past their teens, he had stayed as a little child As he reached about the age of two, he got himself into all kinds of trouble now that he was more confident in his stride.

As Germania sewed a hole closed in one of Gilbert's many, almost ruined tunics, one of the hunters flew on his horse into the village.

"Romans!" he shouted as he entered the village. The sight of Romans were not new as they had been settling the area for quite some time, but had never come close to their village. "It is only a small group but they are headed here." The people seemed overjoyed that they would receive such a blessed visit.

Germania on the other hand, was not pleased with the thought of seeing the Roman again. "Gilbert, come here," he called out for the albino child. He was ignored as Gilbert was so much more happily occupied with his wooden sword. "Gilbert!" He finally answered his parent's call and ran over with his head down. "Go play inside." Germania's frown said it all. He had no idea for Rome's appearance, but he did not want Rome to know anything about his son.

Rome entered the village, almost expecting a parade in his honor, but all he found were people who looked up at them on their horses, staring at their weapons and gold armor. "Salve~" He gave a wink to the women, getting a few giggles from them.

"Hic mulieres pulchrum," said one of his escorts to the other.

Getting off his horse to be eye level with the people, a great tactic for diplomacy, he asked for the leader of the village. "My name is Augustus, and I wish to speak to your leader."

Germania stayed in the crowd, just watching the Roman, waiting to see what his intentions were. The old man walked forward, giving him a Germanic salute.

"I am he."

"I don't mean to be rude, but you have no held up your part of the treaty." Rome held up a piece of parchment with some kind of writing on it.

"No one here is literate in your damn language." Germania finally spoke up and all eyes were now on him. Walking up to Rome, he frowned at him out of irritation. Rome hadn't aged a day since they had last seen each other. His chin was still cleanly shaven, his eyes still a brilliant gold, and that cocky smirk had only gotten wider.

Rome smiled at him, recognizing his barbarian friend instantly. "It says your eldest son is to live at my home while we are allies," he said with a smirk, never breaking eye contact with the blond.

"Our leader has no sons, nor daughters, so it seems we held up our end of the bargain." It was at that moment a familiar voice came through the crowd.

"Mutti! I broke my sword while beating up the bad guys! I need a new one." He held up the beaten toy, missing a small part of the tip.

"Mutti?" Germania glared at Rome as he mimicked what the child had said. "Is that a form of endearment?" Without getting any kind of permissions, he picked up the albino child and held him close to his chest. "I thought you said you didn't have any children."

Germania couldn't deny that he was his child, even though it was hard to tell the heritage due to his unusual features. "Ja. He's my eldest. Born after I returned from your damned city."

Meanwhile, Gilbert was not too happy in those hairy arms. He reached out for the very much more familiar Germania. "Mutti!" he whined but Rome only held him closer. Using the only weapon he had, he swung the wooden sword with all his might at the stranger. The grip loosened as the toy made contact with Rome's lip and forehead. Landing on the ground, he ran over to his mother and hid behind his legs, still clutching the toy tightly.

"Catamitus!" Rome checked his lip to find a small hint of blood. "Kid actually cut me." He showed it off to his escorts and chuckled at the kid. "Not even the best warriors of most nations can say they've done that." Rome smiled at him before looking back up at Germania. "Go along and play with your friends while your… 'Mutti' and I discuss a few things," he said towards Gilbert but still looking at the Germania.

It had been a long time since the two had done any kind of 'discussing' but Germania knew exactly what it meant. He took the guest to his house, making sure to leave Gilbert outside. Once inside, Rome looked around before turning to Germania.

"Let me take the child with me back to my home. It's much better than this, dank shack you live in." Rome turned to Germania, serious about what he had said.

Germania was not pleased. "He is not your to take. He's my child and he is content here."

"I am not going to ask for your permission this time. I will be taking him back with me."

"I will cut off your hands before you can reach for him." Germania glared, ready to kill him.

"Why are you so against me taking him?" Rome asked as he reached out for some of the food on the table. "Could it be you're hiding something from me?"

"Nein, he is not yours to decide what his fate is."

"Who his is mother?" Rome bit down on several berries, starting to make himself at home.

"W-Was?" Germania was appalled by the blunt question.

"I think the better question is who is the father?" He moved close, grabbing Germania's chin, forcing them to make eye contact. Germania said or did nothing that would give away his poker face. "Just as well. Meet me in Locus Castorum in ten days. We will decide his fate there." He planted a soft kiss on those lips before exiting.

Germania did nothing but glare at the Roman as he got back on his horse. "Vale mulierum corporibus formosis. Revertar!" With that, he and his escorts were on the path back to Rome.

"Mutti, who was that?" asked Gilbert as he grabbed onto the hem of the tunic, wanting to be held.

"He was no one Gilbert. Forget about him." Germania picked up the child and gently cradled him. Gilbert would not go with that damn Roman anywhere, he would make sure of it.

Four days had passed and Germania had finally reached a decision. Leaving Gilbert with another family, he set off for the Roman settlement. After a long travel he had made it to Locus Castorum with no trouble.

The city looked like a smaller version of Rome. Arriving much after sunset, he looked for an inn to stay at, but with his inability to read and lack of people in the streets, it was near impossible. For hours he searched the city until a familiar voice came within ear shot.

"Germanien?"

He turned to find a blond woman looked at him. He could not place her until he studied her face more. "A-Aveza?"

The woman instantly smiled and hugged him tightly. It had been years since he had heard anything from her. After reaching maturity, she and a few others left for the roman settlements. "It's been too long. What are you doing here?"

Germania pulled away to look at her in the moonlight. He had not recognized her whatsoever in the roman garb. "I am meeting Rome here tomorrow."

Almost as if she had been reading his mind, she pointed down the street. "My home is just a bit further. Come, you must stay with me."

Germania could not debate as he had nowhere else to go. They both walked side by side, talking of home. "How is Gilbert?"

"He is well. Still a handful though."

She softly laughed as she took his horse into the stable. "Sounds like not much has changed since I left."

Germania only shook his head and followed her into the house. All the candles had been snuffed out, but she knew exactly where to go. He was taken to a guest room, very reminiscent of the one back in Rome. With a quiet goodnight, he was nestled into bed.

It was unnecessary to say that Germania did not sleep well. He had been up all night thinking and ponder about his meeting with Rome. He had tried to come up with every excuse possible but the Roman inside his head came up with an even better reason to keep the boy. It seemed more and more likely that Rome would be taking Gilbert back to his city.

No! How could he think that? Gilbert was staying with Germania no matter what. He would make sure of it. With dark circles under his eyes, he got dressed and left for the governor's house.

The house was much less open than the houses in the southern portion of the Republic, and for good reason. It was not warm and humid all year long and snowed constantly in the winter months. Upon entering the house, the sound of music was coming from down the hall. Against his better judgment, he followed it to the source and found a large party.

What he saw in that room made his stomach churn. There were several beds strewn across the room, each with a few people, naked and…

This was an abomination. He was about to leave the room when he heard the Roman's familiar voice echo through the room, much louder than any of the other's. Germania wanted to grab the Roman, get out of that room, and conduct their business. But what he found infuriated him. There was Rome, surrounded by his people watching him as he took the woman that had offered him a place to sleep the night before.

In a rage, he grabbed the brown, curly hair and pulled him away, eliciting a few gasps from the crowd. Once Rome was on the ground, Germania threw a hard punch to his stomach. He was ready to kill the bastard. A hand grabbed onto his wrist and stopped him dead in his tracts.

"Germanien!"

He looked back to Aveza, the fire in his eyes not gone. Glaring at her, he let go of the Nation and turned to her. There she stood naked in front of him.

"Don't hurt him Germanien. Please," she pleaded as she looked into the eyes of the nation she had grown to love as a brother.

"Do not call me that." He frowned at her deeply, completely appalled that she had been transformed into a Roman, completely discarded the traditions and ideals his tribe had taught her. In his eyes, she was not the person he had remembered. "You are no longer a German." With the attention of the room on him, he made a swift exit.

As Germania saddled his horse to return to Teutoburg and Gilbert, when a tan hand reached out and grabbed his shoulder. "Going already? But you haven't even spent a day here."

Germania kept his back to Rome as he finished up with the rest of his items. "I have spent long enough here. It's time for me to go home to _my_ son."

"If it's about the girl, it was completely consensual. I didn't force her to do anything she didn't want," Rome said, trying to patch up the relationship. "You have nothing to be jealous of. You can have her now if you want."

Finally turning to face him, Germania couldn't believe he was talking about someone like that. Is that was he saw in Germania? Did Rome just see him as a one time thing? "I don't want her like that. What you did to her, it was completely inappropriate. She is married to someone else! How could you do that?"

"It's just sex Germania. It's nothing."

"Nothing?" Germania was now yelling at him. "In order to have sex, you give part of yourself up to the other! How can it be nothing when you took a part of me that night?" Getting up on his horse, he looked down at Rome, red-faced and furious. He finally knew how the Roman felt about him, and now, he would have to bury any kind of feelings he had for the other. It seemed he would never have those feelings returned.

"Lebewohl."

( Sorry for the lack of updating. I had finals and that was killer.

Translations~

'Salve' - Latin for 'hello~'

'Hic mulieres pulchrum' - Latin for 'What beautiful women'

'Mutti' - German for 'mother'

'Catamitus' - Latin for 'son of a bitch'

'Vale mulierum corporibus formosis. Revertar!' - Latin for 'Farewell beautiful people. We will return.'

'Lebewohl' - German for 'live well' )


	6. Chapter 6: Germania in Teutoburger Wald

It was needless to say that Germania's sudden return to the village shocked most of them. They had expected him to be gone for a month at least like the time before. As he rode to his house, no one stopped to ask the reason for his sudden return. The frown on his face meant that again, nothing had gone right. As he was putting his horse in stable, the wife of the family watching Gilbert came up from behind, holding the sleeping child.

"Ulrich?" Only the older members of the village seemed to use his given name. Quickly turning to her, his frown disappeared and he visibly relaxed as he saw his own child. Curled up and sucking his thumb, it seemed that for once, the child was calm and peaceful.

"Danke. It means a lot to me." Germania carefully took the sleeping Gilbert into his arms and held him close, glad he was here in the forest and not with Rome. Not after what he had seen.

"It was nothing we haven't had before." With that, she returned home to take care of her own flock.

The sun set in the west as Germania walked inside with his child, his whole world. Instead of putting him in his own smaller bed, he set him down in Germania's. Gilbert seemed to know that he was home and seemed to fall into an even deeper sleep. With the gentle care that only a parent could have, Germania gently undressed him and put on some warm garments for the cold night ahead. Once he too was changed, he crawled into bed and pulled the child close to his chest. As he rubbed the albino's back, a soft yawn escaped his lips as he finally woke up.

"Mutti?" he asked softly as he rubbed his eyes.

"Shh. Go back to sleep Gilbert. We're home." He pulled up the fur closer to keep him warm.

"I missed you." With a yawn he was already drifting off to sleep again. "Ick lieb dic."

Germania softly kissed his forehead and held him close as he too finally fell asleep.

The next day seemed to go along without incident. As Gilbert played with his friends and toys, Germania kept to himself. He didn't want to share with the others what he had seen, especially with what had become of one of them.

He hated to admit it, but Germania was convinced that Rome was on his way now to the village to take Gilbert. In his belief that this would be the last time he would see his son play, he just watched him run around with his friends. If it would truly be his last days among his people, he needed to enjoy it.

But no word from the Romans ever came. Days and weeks passed. Months flew by. A decade passed and Gilbert had finally grown out of his clothes and reached around the age of four. With his age came new responsibilities. Responsibilities he was very happy to shrug off or somehow give to another young and unsuspecting child.

As he got to work brushing off Germania's horse as a punishment for not being home on time, a strange man came into the village bearing nothing but a scroll. It was addressed to Germania.

"Ignoscere. Quaero Germania." No one understood a word he said except for the word 'Germania'. Being the only one of all of them that could actually speak the flowery language, Germania made his way to the man and grabbed the letter. Could it finally be the day he had been dreading?

"Ego illum." Germania took the parchment and nodded to him. Before the man left, he asked him who the sender was.

"Rome. Augustus."

Once he was gone from view, Germania opened the letter and out fell a large gold ring. It seemed to make a resonating 'thud' as it hit the ground. Everyone looked in awe at the expensive jewelry. He picked up the ring, inspecting it carefully for any kind of markings or damage. On the sides were two bright eagles while its jewel was a shining ruby. Germania looked at the letter before discarding it into the fire. Without knowing anything of written language of the Romans, the letter was useless.

If Germania had been able to read latin, he would have learned the letter read this:

_My dearest love,_

_It has been lonely in the city without your bright face and golden hair to cheer me up. I know we left on bad terms but I wish to re-establish our friendship. I would like to invite you to come live with me as my guest. You and the child. _

_I will be awaiting your reply._

_Rome_

But he would have no reply. The ring would stay hidden away in a box as the time passed. Again, years passed and soon, an even greater amount of time passed than when he had received the letter.

There was another messenger and another letter. This time when it was opened, a necklace bearing a golden eagle was the gift. It was meant for Gilbert but he would never receive it and Rome would not get his reply. The letter read nearly the same but instead it begged for Germania to come.

Once more time flew by and Gilbert's friends grew and died old in their beds. A final time a letter came. This time it only had a few scribbled words on it. Completely impossible to read or understand.

'_I come within the end of the month. Prepare for my arrival._

_Augustus_'

No gift was enclosed with the letter. Like the others, it was tossed away, discarded into oblivion. As Germania returned to his home to finish up the chores, he was stopped by Gilbert, who was running to him crying.

"Gilbert, was ist los?" He picked him up and carefully hugged him.

"Th-They made fun of me!" he said through the tears. He hid his face in the shoulder of his parent's tunic, sobbing lightly into the fabric.

"Why did they make fun of you? Is it because you are stronger than them? They are jealous Gilbert."

"Nein! They tease because I call you 'mutti'!" He pulled away and rubbed at his eyes. "If you are mutti, then who is vati? Where is my vati?"

Germania had been dreading this day for a long time. He had hoped he would have a longer time to avoid answering that question. "It seems you are too smart for me." Germania took him inside to talk to him privately. Sitting down on a chair, he tried to put things in perspective for such a small child. "You and I, Gilbert, we are different than the others we live with. We don't age or grow old like they do."

"Ja! All my friends keep getting old and dying," Gilbert interrupted.

"Das ist richtig. It's because you and I represent the gathering of people to one place. I am the embodiment of the people of this land that is known to some as Germania. I stay alive, young and healthy as long as there is one German left that still breathes. You will one day take my place or go off and become another strong nation. This is our destiny and what we are meant to do with our time here on this land."

Germania sighed and looked to the corner of the room where the chest sat, the chest containing the ring and the necklace. "This means we too are not bound by the same rules. If I was just a normal mortal, it would be impossible for me to have carried you, but since I am different, the Norns decided that I was to give birth to a nation. I did and I had you. Your vati lives far away, too far to travel. Maybe one day you two will meet, but for now, he must remain from your knowledge."

Gilbert nodded, knowing that this was the only answer he would get as to who his mysterious father was. He snuggled up close to his mutti and started to calm down, finding comfort in those arms.

Like Rome had promised, he had arrived at the village within just weeks of sending the letter. He rode into the village with nothing but a pack of clothes and his armor. It had been nearly a century since he had used the barbaric language and he would do his best to avoid using it again.

"Germania?" he asked, hoping that someone would lead him in the right direction.

"Er ist nicht hier," was the reply from one of the tribesmen. Damn. Rome had hoped to avoid any kind of communication until he could talk with Germania, someone who actually spoke the language of the educated. Instead of making the effort to translate it, he just shrugged his shoulders to show he didn't understand a word.

"Ego sum Rome~!" He took a very glorified pose, one almost befitting a statue, and received many a whisper and giggle from the crowd. Within minutes, he saw his target. Leaving the crowd and moving closer to Germania, he still kept that pose on his horse.

Germania, dropping the carcass of the wolf that had been feasting so well on their flocks, was surprised to see the Roman. "I thought you didn't mingle that much with barbarians."

"I came to live among you for a time. I trust you did get my letters~?" He said, getting off his horse.

"Ja, but you forgot, no one can read them here." Germania took out a small knife, one taken from one of the neighboring tribes as the spoils of a short war, and began to skin the wolf.

It was then that Rome saw what he was doing. In a panic, as if he could help the already dead animal, pushed the German off the carcass and looked at it, as if he was trying to recognize a dear old friend. "Why did you have to kill him? He did nothing!"

"It was feasting on our livestock. It attacked one of the children. This beast had to be stopped or it would have killed someone," Germania said, not defending his actions whatsoever, as he saw that there would be no reason for him to have to defend himself.

Rome shut the wolf's eyes and recited a small prayer in latin. "You could have asked him to leave. He would have."

Germania looked down at him. He needed the fur from the wolf, but with the way that Rome was treating it, it was almost like he had killed a human. "If you want to give him a proper burial, go take him out to the woods. We can't have a rotting carcass to attract the other predators."

Germania had no idea if Rome had actually gone through with the burial or not. All he knew was that the one person on this earth he did not want to come, was now on their doorstep. Quickly finding Gilbert, he grabbed his hand, pulling him close to whisper the warning he had.

"Do not play alone. Always make sure you stay in the village where others can see you. This is very important Gilbert." With that he left to go find the Roman. As long as he was here, a guest in his village, he would stay under his close guard. He found him back where they had met a few hours earlier.

Now that there were no distractions, Germania studied Rome. He now sported a small tiny scar on his lip from where Gilbert had hit him, though it was hard to see if one did not look in the right place. He seemed to have grown an inch or two and looked no longer like the young adult he had met.

"I hope you don't mind but I was hoping to spend a few months here with you, to better understand you and your people. I only wish to make peace between you and I." Rome smiled softly, trying to look seductive.

But like all his other advances, it didn't work on Germania. Walking right past him, he walked to the stable to check on his horse. "Nein. I forbid it." He wanted the Roman out. Now.

"Why not Germania? I let you stay as a guest in my house! I want to see where you live. It's just for a few months and then I'll be gone. I promise." Rome gave him a smoldering smirk in hopes it would get him to change his mind.

It was no surprise that it didn't. Germania could see right through it. "Nein. It will always be that answer so get back on your horse and head back home."

Rome walked off, but not back to his horse. No. Instead he walked back to the village elder and spoke to him about staying. Using as much of the Germanic language as he could muster, he was able to convince the old man to let him stay but on one condition: He would have to live in the long house, away from all the other people and families. Without knowing what was actually kept in there, he happily agreed.

Rome was only given a blanket and a small pillow to use. "Where do I sleep?" Rome seemed confused as to why he was being placed in a giant open room with all those animals.

"Climb the ladder and lay down on the hay stored up there. There are no extra beds here so this is what you have." Germania was just about glowing inside. He was finally getting some kind of revenge on Rome, even though it was indirect. "Sleep well mighty Rome."

Rome frowned at his sleeping arrangements and climbed his way to the top. The smell wasn't as bad as he moved closer at the top. There seemed to be a hole missing in the thatched roof above his head, letting in the cold. Curling up in the stiff hay, he covered himself up and started to miss his feather bed he had home. Now if only he could get some sleep.

"Hey! Shut up down there! I'm trying to get my beauty sleep!"

Rome's yells of frustrations were audible within a large radius but no one could understand it but Germania, who lay happily content in his bed.

Though the hay was a horrible bed compared to what the Roman was used to, he did not leave like Germania had thought. Instead he had stayed. Against everything that the German had predicted, Rome stayed and spent his time learning of the people and their customs. This was just a ploy. He only pretended to be interested. Just like that night. Ever since that kiss, he had a hard time believing anything that the other said or did.

One night as they were eating with the tribe around the fire, he spotted something that Rome was carving. "What is that?" he asked, taking a seat next to him.

"In my spare time during wars and conquests I learned to carve animals. Do you like it Germania?" he replied, holding up a block of wood that was beginning to take shape.

"What is it supposed to be?"

"You'll see soon my dear friend. Just have some patience." Rome happily continued to whittle, excited to show off his skills.

A few days later Germania found what he had been making, but the finished product was in Gilbert's hands. As the little child came home from playing outside, a wooden eagle was held in his hands.

"Where did you get that?" his parent asked.

Gilbert just held it behind his back as if trying to hide it. "No where. It is a secret. I promised to keep it a secret.

Germania did nothing to press the issue and watched as he gently cradled it in his sleep. Just before he too entered to bed, a knock came at the door. Through the cracks he could see it was Rome. He opened the door and stepped outside. "What do you want."

"I just came to say goodnight and hopefully get my goodnight kiss~" Rome pursed his lips for a smooch but found a hand on his face pushing him away.

"I have learned that it is not such a great thing to receive kisses from you. Good night Augustus." Germania turned to enter back into the house to sleep.

"Did you get the ring I sent? It was meant for you and then one day it would be passed down to our son, Gilbert."

"For the last time Rome, he is not our son! He is my son!" To Germania, Rome had no right to claim the child as his own. He did nothing to provide for him.

Rome frowned at the statement. "How can you deny a parent the right to see his own child!"

"Because you were never there for him. I am the one that bore him, raised him, fed him when he cried. You did nothing Rome! Now stay the fuck away from him or so help me I will strike you down." With that, Germania was done arguing. He slammed the door shut in Rome's face to keep him out. Gilbert had stayed sound asleep throughout the conversation outside. Germania stared at the wooden eagle, instantly realizing that it was what Rome had been making at the feast that day. Every part of his body wanted to rip it away from the child's grasp and cast it into fire, but he could not. Was it his hidden love for Rome that kept him from going on with his plan? Even he did not know.

For the next few days, neither one acknowledged the existence of the other. They kept to themselves and barely made eye contact. They made sure to avoid each other, even so much as taking a different route if their paths were to cross. It took skill as there were only 1,000 people that lived in the tribe. One day, their paths were to meet, as dictated by the fates.

As Germania returned home from an afternoon of talking with the elders, to find Rome standing in his house with nothing on but his short toga. "Leave my house Augustus. I will not say it again."

"Germania, Ulricus, just give me a chance to explain myself." Rome put up his hands defensively just in case he was going to get hit, which seemed like a near constant thing. Instead nothing happened. Germania just stared at the man, waiting for his 'explanation'. "I came to help you. Your people are living in such horrible conditions. If only you would let me help, I could make paved roads, or aqueducts that would bring clean water here. I only want to help."

"And what do you want in return then? Money? As you can see, we are just simple people that live off the land. We wouldn't be able to afford any of these projects you speak of." Germania could see right through the ploy.

Damn it. Why wouldn't Germania give in? "What if I didn't ask for money? But just your body when I come to visit?"

"Nein! I will not sell myself to you like a whore at one of the thousands of brothels in your perverted city. We are fine without your help."

"Come on Ulricus, I have improved the lives of barbarians all over Italy. How would you be any different than them?" Rome reached forward and gently grabbed the man's upper arm, pulling him closer.

"Because we are not like them. We are Germans and we will stay German until our dying breath." Germania did nothing to swat the hand away but moved forward. It was hard for him to admit he missed those lips. Ever since the first kiss they shared, he had craved the feeling again. "If you don't mind, please leave and go home."

Rome could tell exactly what the other was thinking with just a single glance. Pulling on his arm to bring him even closer, he slid his hand up behind the head of Germania and pulled him in for that kiss he had so much desired since the day he left Rome.

Against everything Germania had ever done or thought against Rome, he found himself kissing back, even pulling himself closer. No. This had to be something else. Some sort of demon put inside his body. Finally pulling away some time later, he shook his head and forced himself to frown. "Leave by sunrise."

That night, there was no 'goodnight' or attempt at a goodnight kiss. Germania didn't seem to notice. Instead he was focused on telling a bedtime story to Gilbert. "Do you know why it thunders in the sky Gilbert?"

"Is it because the sky is yelling at me to be quiet?" Gilbert held onto the wooden eagle as he snuggled down in the furs.

"Nein mein Liebe, but close. There is a god that lives up in the heavens named Donar, and with his mighty hammer, he fights against his wicked adversary Loptr. When the storm is over, it means their fight has moved elsewhere and we are safe for now." With that, he leaned over and gently kissed the pale boy's forehead. "Sleep well Gilbert. We have a long day tomorrow and it would be wise to get all the rest you can."

The child instantly sat up with a frown on his face. "But I don't wanna do chores in the morning."

His parent pushed him gently down into the bed and carefully tucked him in once more, this time for good. "We aren't doing chores tomorrow. Now if you go to sleep now, the more fun we will have tomorrow. Now sleep."

With a giggle and a yawn, Gilbert was out like a light, tucked in and holding onto his new favorite possession. Germania sat at the edge of the bed, just watching him as he slept. Though he had resented the Roman for what he had done, he was grateful to have his child. Climbing into his own bed, he was quickly taken over by sleep.

He was awakened in the middle of the night by a sharp scream and the sound of his name being called out.

"Mutti!"

Germania quickly sat up to see the edge of a dark cloak slither away from the windowsill. It took some time for him to adjust his eyes, but he could instantly tell that Gilbert was not in his bed. Jumping up from the bed, dressed in nothing but his tunic and trews, he grabbed his sword and went out to find the stranger.

As he flung open the door to his home, he could see the dark shape move through the road, sprinting to make an exit into the surrounding woods. At this rate he could never catch up to them.

Almost as if reading his parent's distressed mind, Gilbert grabbed the arm of the kidnapper and sunk his teeth into the cold exposed skin. If only he could get closer to Germania… He had to. The man did not stop running but tried to free his arm. Instead of letting go, he only bit harder, finally taste a small bit of that metal taste in his mouth. Finally the kidnapper smacked his face, releasing those small teeth from his skin. The pain on his cheek caused him to cry even louder.

Germania followed those cries and screams as best he could. His long legs were a great advantage for this. After zig zagging through the village, it seemed the kidnapper was slowing down. After several dozen meters, the edges of the cloak were fnally in his grasp. Grabbing a fist full, he stopped and used his momentum to pull back the kidnapper.

"Ack!"

The hooded man fell back with a large thud and an 'oof' as the wind was knocked out of his body. Gilbert had been held onto his chest during the fall and was protected. Once free, he scrambled away and held onto Germania's leg.

With one hand in a fell swoop, he picked up the child and held him close. With the sword pointed at the chest of the gasping man, he kicked back the hood to reveal the man to be none other than Rome.

"Rome? What are you doing?" Germania was completely in shock. He was a guest of the village and this was his thanks?

"My boss Quintus Fabius, he wants him. He wanted me to bring the child back to Rome to use as collateral. My persuasion methods didn't work. This was a last resort." Rome looked up at him, the expression in his gold eyes hard to see in the dim light.

"Leave. You are no longer welcomed in his village or in the rest of the tribes. Go!" Germania removed the sword and took a few steps back, still holding the sword in a defensive position. He watched with hateful eyes as the Roman stood up and dusted himself off, revealing that he had been wearing his armor and weapons. He had had the power to fight back but he didn't. Why? Germania could only question as he watched him leave. For Germania he prayed that it would be the last time he would ever have to see the man.

How wrong he was.

( Uploading before I go out with my real life Rome and Magyar for New Years. If I get to a computer I will add translations for you. If not it will come in time.

Happy New Years! Hopefully this story will get better in 2011. Have a fantastic new year my readers!

Love, Contra

Back! Here are the translations I promised:

Danke - German for Thank you.

Ignoscere. Quaero Germania. - Latin for Pardon me. I am looking for Germania.

Ego illum. - Latin for I am he.

Gilbert, was ist los? - German for Gilbert, what is wrong?

Vati - German for Father

Das ist richtig - German for That is right.

Norns - Germanic Goddesses of Fate. Pretty much just like the Fates in Greek mythology.

Er ist nicht hier - German for He is not here.

Ego sum Rome~! - Latin for I am Rome.

Donar and Loptr - Original Germanic names for Thor and Loki respectively.

mein Liebe - German for My love.

Ja and Nein - German for yes and no.)


	7. Chapter 7: An Unimaginable Loss

Germania watched as Gilbert's precious wooden eagle was burned in the fire. It wasn't him that had placed it in there, but the child who did. It had happened just after returning home from sending Rome away. Gilbert had run into the house and grabbed it, throwing it into the fire. It seemed he too wanted to remove those memories of the man.

Things only seemed to get worse. The harvest was less than plentiful and it seemed every year things were producing less and less. About 30 harvest moons came and past and yet the ground would not offer up more.

"We have to move off this land if we are going to survive!" shouted one man at the tribal meeting.

"We cannot just leave. This is the land that was tilled by our father's grandfathers. We can survive until the gods return our crops." A murmur moved around the crowd as they talked about the right thing to do.

Germania stood and entered the circle. "The crops will not come. We need to leave. My hands helped to build this great house with those strong men who helped me to found this village. Don't disgrace them by staying when there is nothing." A deafening roar of approval came though the house as they beat the wooden walls or the stools upon which they sat. "The Cimbri have been moving south. We can join them."

"But the Cimbri are much more crude and wild than we are!" someone in the crowd shouted.

"They are still German! Like you and me. Why should they be any different?" Germania was greeted by approval once more.

It seemed they would be leaving for the south.

"Mutti. How much longer?" Gilbert sat on the cart, playing with his new wooden sword.

"You asked me that five minutes ago Teuton. Again, we'll get there soon. The scouts reported that the Cimbri aren't too far ahead." Germania's wagon was towards the front of their wagon train. It had been difficult getting through the forests of the area.

It seemed like they had been traveling all day by the time noon came around. It was by then they had finally reached the other tribes. Not only were the Cimbri there, but the Teutones and the Ambrones. Germania's tribe was not the only to migrate. Leaving his tribe on the outskirts, he rode his horse to the front, searching for the leader of the Cimbri tribe. He found him about a mile ahead. He had never seen so many souls in one spot before. It had to be at least 300,000 of them.

"I am looking for the king of the Cimbri." Germania rode up to the two but a crowd of people quickly moved between him and the man. They were not so trusting of other Germans. They could tell by the way he spoke that he was not Cimbrian, but from the western part of the area.

"I am King Boiorix of the Cimbri. What is your business with us?" The red haired man was not trusting of the stranger. Not very many people knew what Germania looked like but knew of his existence.

Germania moved his horse away from the people to keep them from getting injured. "I am Ulrich. I am the founder of my tribe and we wish to join your migration as our lands can no longer sustain us."

The King inspected him and turned to the other man also on a horse next to him and talked. "What is the name of your tribe then?"

"We have no name. Just a common identity." Germania prayed that they would allow them to join.

Finally the other man spoke up. "I am King Teutobod of the Teutonis. Why should we accept you and your people? You could be spies from our enemies. Maybe even the Romans."

Germania instantly frowned at the mention of the Roman. "Nein. I have forbidden him from ever returning. I would rather swim the length of the Rhine nude in the deepest winter than see him again."

Teutobod laughed and smiled at him. "So you are the great Germanien?"

"Ja. I am."

"Then we would gladly welcome you and your people with open arms." The people between them moved away and he moved himself closer to the two kings.

"It's good to finally meet the man that represents all of the Germans. We have only heard stories about you." King Boiorix was now much more relaxed, the thought of a threat now gone from his mind.

That night, Germania slept in a tent like he did when he was younger. Gilbert complained about the sleeping arrangements and constantly rolled over to find another patch of ground that was comfier than the last.

"I don't like this Mutti. When do I get my own bed back?" Gilbert curled up tightly under the furs, trying to keep warm in the cold wind.

"Teuton, we won't be going back to your bed for a very long time. We are looking for a new place to live. You'll get a new bed." Germania desperately tried to comfort the child and get him to sleep. The man desperately needed his rest before the morning light would shine.

"Why do you call me Teuton? I thought my name was Gilbert!" He had no intention of going to sleep any time soon.

Germania sighed and closed his eyes. Why wouldn't he just go to sleep? "Teuton means you are a German. I mean for you to take over my lands one day when my time has ended."

Gilbert looked up at him with sad red eyes, scared at the thought of losing his parent. "You're going to leave me?"

"Nein. I will never leave you no matter what. I will always be here for you." Germania gently kissed his head as the child curled up to him to steal his warmth from the growing cold.

"I'm tired…" He yawned softly as sleep finally over took him. Finally, he was asleep. Germania took the chance and fell asleep himself, trying to get every bit of rest before the morning.

His dream gave him no comfort. Finding himself somewhat lost between reality and a dream, Germania was back in Rome, wearing that toga and the green cloth and standing in the garden. From the east entrance came Augustus and Gilbert, happily playing war.

"I got you vati!" He yelled out as he playfully stabbed his stomach. The Roman fell over and landed on the grass.

"Oh no! I'm dead!" He pretended to give out a final breath and laid on the ground with his eyes closed and his tongue hanging out of his mouth, like a boar dead and defeated. Gilbert took the chance to jump on his chest and cried out in victory.

Germania walked over to the two, confused and disoriented. "Gilbert, be careful of him." As he reached down to pick him up, he melted away into the wind and so did the garden. Now he was in Rome's room, lit with a hundred candles and the finest linens draped over furniture and on the walls.

"…Was?" he asked as he walked around. Rome came up from behind, hugging him gently.

"Is everything to your liking mi amo?" He pressed a few kisses to the back of his head before moving down to his neck.

Germania tried to push him away but he just found himself leaning back into those arms. The hands slid down and rested on his hips as the lips began to caress the area between his shoulder and neck. Try as he may, the harder he tried to get away, the more he found himself getting deeper into the moment. In an instant, the hands and lips disappeared, and there was Rome, lying on his back on the bed, showing off his body and scars from won campaigns. Nearly gliding across the room, he laid down on top of the Roman and rested his mouth just to the side of the tan nose.

"Liebst du mich, Rom?" Germania breathed in Rome's exhales, finding himself completely lost.

"Sempiternam." Rome placed a hand on his cheek and finally connected their lips. The kisses started off small and sweet but slowly grew in passion as the night grew on. The Roman's hands began to free the German's skin from any kind of clothing, depositing all he was wearing on the ground…

"Mutti! Wake up! It's time to go!" Gilbert's voice rang through the dream and he was awakened.

'It was just a dream then…' Germania thought as he sat up. How he longed for that dream to be a reality but it would not exist. It would only stay in his mind. As he got dressed and put away the tent, he tried to shake the dream from his mind, but those damn lustful golden eyes only seemed to stay and taunt him.

As the collection of tribes continued to move south, Germania traveled alongside the Kings of the Cimbri and the Teutones. He talked with them about their experiences with the Romans and found that they had none. They were from the northern most area, a place the long hand of the Roman Republic had not yet reached. All they knew was of stories.

"They say that Romans soldiers shine like the sun." Teutobod laughed at Boiorix's mention of such an absurd thing.

"And my horse is the fast and noble Sleipnir." Teutobod's laugh seemed to echo through the land.

"Romans wear metal armor, unlike our leather armor. It keeps them much more protected and a more fearsome opponent," Germania spoke without looking at either one. All he could think about was that bright gold armor of Rome's.

Teutobod was the one to speak up. "It seems you know more about these Romans than anyone else here. Teach us what you know of them."

"Why do you wish to know?" Germania asked, turning to both of them. He had a fear of the reason for their curiosity.

"So we may defeat them in battle Germanien. There is a settlement near the Alps called Noreia that belongs to the Taurisci who are allies of Rome. We plan on taking it for ourselves." Boiorix replied.

Germania felt his heart drop. As much as he hated Rome at that moment, he had no desire to harm him. Would he even have the strength to lift a sword against him?

Days passed before they finally reached the settlement. The battle for the city was quick and bloody. The Taurisci had no knowledge of the raid and they put up barely much of a fight. Walking through the village, he looked down at the bodies of their fellow Germans. How much it hurt to see his own people like this… This shouldn't have happened. There were other methods than just war. Standing over the body of a slain mother and infant, he leaned down and closed their eyes. This was the last thing on earth he wanted.

That night he slept uneasy, feeling the pain of his people. It refused to go away. He tossed and turned, only able to hear the screams and anguish of those who had lost family. When he awoke the next morning, he found himself fatigued. His heart felt heavy like he had lost someone, but he hadn't.

As he left the tent in the morning, Gilbert grabbed his leg and hugged it tightly.

"Gilbert, what is that for?" He was confused to the sudden moment of affection. This wasn't like him.

"It looked like you needed a hug Mutti." He smiled up at Germania before running off with his new playmates.

The village grew to accommodate the sudden surge of new residents and within the year's end, it was a thriving city once more. Gilbert no longer had to sleep in on the ground but happily got a mattress. No more sleepless nights for those two. Not until a familiar brand of people came into the city. Speaking with Boiorix and Teutobod, were an emissary of Roman soldiers, and who else was there but…

"Ulricus~!" He heard that familiar happy voice from behind and then a sudden bear hug. Almost like he was fighting for his life, he pushed the hairy arms away and swung a punch at his face.

"How _dare_ you touch me! Get out of here Augustus before I kill you!"

Rome just chuckled and rubbed the spot where he had been punched. "Seems you've gotten stronger than the last time I saw you. Your punches actually sting this time."

Germania pulled his arm back for another punch when he heard the sound of Boiorix's voice.

"Ah~ It seems you two have already gotten acquainted. Perfect! Lets go inside and hear what he has to say." He pushed both of them into the long house. There, already inside was Teutobod, and three ambassadors from Rome. They wore only light armor, just a precaution.

"Do you think you could translate for us Ulricus~? It seems you are the only German here who can speak my beautiful language." Rome smiled at him, hoping to sweet talk him into doing the work for him.

"What is wrong with my language?" Germania raised an eyebrow and frowned at him. "What if I don't feel like speaking Latin anymore."

"Come on Germania! I am no good at German! Just do this for me once. I'll let you top this time!" He smiled and reached down at him but the hand was stopped.

"I will translate but my reward will not be sex."

The hand quickly retreated and the ambassadors finally began to speak of their purpose being here.

"You have invaded Roman land and have taken land away from our allies, the Taurisci. We will give you three months to move off their land and return to them what is rightfully theirs." Every word was translated by Germania, even though he did not care to speak Latin at the moment.

"This is our land now. We will never give it back," replied Boiorix, "You four can just scoot along home now."

Germania again translated but left out that last part, not in the mood to translate an argument.

"Three months. If you are not off their land, we will take it back." With that the emissaries left.

"It was good to see you Germania. Give my best to Gilbert!" Rome seemed to skip out of the longhouse in a very cheerful mood. How could he just forget such events? The man was clearly operating on half a brain.

Three months passed and not a soul had left the city. As promised, the Romans returned with an army. Germania was sent with a few others to talk and negotiate peace. No one was there for a fight. As he entered the camp, he got his first look of a Roman soldier in a long time. They were much more trained and obedient since the last time he had seen them, and strangely, more cocky.

"Your three months are up Germania. What are you going to do against the power of Roman might~?" Rome shrugged and smiled. He seemed so confident. His boss that had come was name Gnaeus Papirius Carbo, and sadly, he seemed like the wrong type to be there.

Ignoring the Nation, which now seemed to be his custom, Germania spoke with Carbo and him alone. "We have realized our mistake and we only wish to return home in peace. Give us more time. With as many people in the area it takes time Consul Carbo."

The man nodded his head and shook the German's hand. "I shall give you the time." With that Germania turned and left back to the city. What he didn't see was Carbo's orders to ambush the group before they could return.

One of the younger men there, walked next to the horse and happily talked about his new life in Noreia. "I plan to become great and strong li—" His words were cut off as an arrow pierced his chest, sending him to the ground, dead. Soon they were surrounded by a small battalion of Roman soldiers, all ready to prevent their return to the others.

"Go Germanien! We'll keep them busy!" Germania had no desire to leave his own behind but he was the only one on horse and thus could get back to the city in time. The horse needed no urge to go. As soon as Germania felt like he was at a safe enough distance, he felt something sharp strike his back. He had no time to look. He had to continue on.

Gilbert had happily been playing with his friends when he saw a grey horse entering the village. He instantly recognized it as his parent's new horse. Running over to him, he found the rider slumped forward and not moving. The horse stopped in front of the boy. "Mutti?" He softly said as he moved closer. Something red caught his eye. He didn't remember the horse having such a red patch…

"Hilfe! Meine Mutti ist verletzt!" he screamed out in panic as he realized what had happened. The men who had rushed out of their homes to see what the child had been screaming about carefully pulled him off the horse and found him pale and struggling to breathe.

"R-Romans… They're c-coming!" He tried to warn as he was carted away. The shot would have killed any man but as he was a nation, he would have to live with the pain. The only thing they could do for him was pull out the arrow slowly and pray that the tip came with it. Setting him down on his belly on the table of the long house, he was given a leather strip to bite on.

"You will have to fight through this pain Germanien. We will make the Romans suffer more." Boiorix took one arm while a few other men held down his limbs. As the arrow was slowly pulled out, Germania screamed out and bit down hard on the leather. His body tried to throw off the men that held him down but they kept him still. The pain coursed through every inch of his body until at last, the arrow came free.

Germania tried to sit up but found there was no strength left in his body. Sweat poured down his face as he coughed up blood. He could already feel his body starting to heal but it would be a long process.

In the corner, attempting to look brave, stood Gilbert. He held onto his toy sword and watched as the men helped him up and removed his cloak and armor, allowing for the priestess to cover his wounds with medicinal herbs and bandage. Wiping away the tears with one hand, he held onto his sword as if the Romans would barge in at any moment and try and finish the job. He followed as the men took him to the house, listening to how the Romans were the ones who attacked and went back on their word.

Germania was set in his bed, his wounds cleaned but his body in need of rest. Turning to look at Gilbert, he opened his arm out to invite him in. "Come here Gilbert." The child said no more and quickly jumped up onto the bed and curled up next to him. "Don't cry. It just hurts a little bit. I'll be back to full health soon." Hugging him with the last bit of strength he had, he half-whispered, half-sang a lullaby to him to get him to relax.

"Guten Abend, gute Nacht,

mit Rosen bedacht,

mit Näglein besteckt,

schlüpf unter die Deck.

Morgen früh, wenn Gott will,

wirst du wieder geweckt."

And with that, Gilbert and Germania fell asleep.

It felt like just minutes of rest when Germania finally awoke. Curling up his arm to pull Gilbert in closer, he found that the child was no longer there. Where could he have gone? He forced himself to sit up, but found hands pushing him back down.

"Nein. You need to rest."

Germania looked up and found the face of the Cimbrian king, Boiorix. He had a few bandages as well, something that had appeared on him since Germania had fallen asleep.

"You look terrible. Where is Gilbert?" He forced the words out as he felt a cough coming on. Placing his hands by his mouth, he struggled for breath as the fit continued. All he could taste in his mouth was that familiar tint of blood. He was able to get his breath back after the fit had stopped.

"Your son is with Teutobod's family. They took him in and watched over him while you slept." He offered a small bowl of water to his nation, carefully placing it to his lips as he drank. "He cries out for you in his sleep."

Germania gratefully drank the water, feeling it wash away the horrid taste. Once it was gone, he pulled away and looked up at the king. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Five days. We met the Romans in battle and defeated them. We outnumbered them ten to one. It was a glorious battle. If only you had been there to witness it Germanien. Their Consul, the one that betrayed you, ran like a child to his mother." Boiorix laughed out only to be silenced by Germania's hoarse whisper.

"Get out."

"Was?" he asked in confusion.

"Get out of my home." Germania turned away from him and listened as the man exited. His confused heart began to worry about Rome. Was he there for the battle? How badly was he hurt?

No! He couldn't be having these kinds of thoughts. Rome was his enemy now. He had to be treated as such. But why did he care so much about him? Why did Germania care for such a man? What did he see in him? It hurt his heart just to think about it. He had to distance himself.

As Germania found himself lost in his thoughts, the door slowly opened and the sound of small footsteps quickly moved from the door to the side of the bed.

"Mutti… Are you alive now? I need someone to chase away my nightmares," squeaked out the little voice as he started to cry.

Germania slowly turned and sat up in his bed. "I told you I would never leave you Gilbert." The child quickly crawled up and hugged him tightly, crying tears of joy. No matter how strong he always tried to look, he was a little baby around his parent.

"I thought you died! You wouldn't wake up but they said you were just sleeping. I thought you died." He pressed his face into Germania's shoulder and wept harder. His fears were finally disappearing.

The blond carefully rubbed his back and held him close, letting him cry out until he fell asleep in his arms.

The Cimbri and Teutoni masses decided to move on, leaving only just a fraction of their original tribe. Germania decided not to follow them into Gaulic territory knowing that his sister would not be too thrilled to see him in such circumstances. Instead of staying behind, he took Gilbert and headed back north towards the forests. He needed to be home where he knew he could be away from Rome. Thankfully the Cherusci were more than welcoming.

As time passed, Gilbert found new playmates and happily found his place in a new tribe. As if nothing ever happened. Germania's wound had healed but the scar was still there. He could still feel the sting when he thought of Rome. One day while watching the cattle, Germania took a piece of wood from a tree that had fell near the sacred grove and began to carve a new toy for Gilbert. The child still loved eagles and any manner of flying animal. It took a while for the shape to form but soon it took the form of an eagle with its wings outstretched out and talons prone, ready to snatch anything in its path. As he worked on the animal, a sharp pain coursed through his body. It felt like he had gotten the wind knocked out of him. Separated from the rest of the village for now, he could do nothing but succumb to the pain.

"Sch-Schiße!" He grabbed his stomach and felt that urge to vomit. Lifting himself to his knees, his whole body stopped as he vomited onto the ground. Opening his eyes, he was horrified to see blood. This had never happened before. What was this? It took some time but he finally forced himself back into the village, where the was quickly carted away to the priestess's home. It was hard to hear her over his cries of pain.

"A part of him has died. One of the tribes has been exterminated." That was the answer the gods had given her. Germania wondered who it could have been. What could have happened to wipe out an entire tribe? That night was not much better. He found himself struggling to take in a breath. Like he was being strangled in his sleep, but no one was there.

What had happened?

As the pain continued through the night, he did his best not to alarm the child, who was sleeping not too far away from him. It was the last thing on this Earth Gilbert needed to see. Just before the sun rose, the pain finally subsided and he could breathe again. The pain in his heart was still there, refusing to leave. Why would this happen?

It would be weeks before he would learn of the massacre of the Teutonis, the same people he had fought and lived with in Noriea. The Romans had easily slaughtered them and taken the women for slaves. That night they killed themselves and their children, preferring death to slavery. The death of so many of his own people had destroyed him physically. His soul seemed broken and destroyed.

Decades flew by and Gilbert's new wooden eagle was painted black and began to wear with years of rough treatment by the child. Germania on the other hand, did not fair as well. After the massacres of his people, he never returned to the strength he had then. He constantly felt weak and helpless. No longer did he feel like the great man he once was.

Rome had come and decided to take over the land for himself. News spread fast as settlements began to spring up like wildfire. The Germans no longer had the power to repel them back. Before long, a familiar scene had entered into the village.

The Cherusci king, Segimerus, had decided to strike a deal with the Romans: For their protection from his enemies, he would give them his oldest son. The Roman soldiers left with the little child in tow. Gilbert cried as he had lost his favorite playmate.

"Irmin! Don't go!" Gilbert cried out and tried to run to give his friend one last farewell hug, but he was forcefully held back.

"I'll be back Gilbert! I promise!" With that he waved and walked off into the distance to his new home.

Germania had no idea how important the child would be in later years, completely ignorant of how life changing their next meeting would be.

( This happy little chapter is based on several key wars for the Germans in the BC era: The Battle of Noriea, and the Battle of Aurasio. The Teutonis were completely exterminated after the battle of Aurasio and the women did in fact kill themselves. First their children and then themselves to keep themselves from becoming slaves after being denied their request to become priestesses at various temples. The Cimbri also met the same end as the Teutonis a year later. Boiorix was killed and Teutobod was taken prisoner. The Germans never had such an army again in such numbers after the loss of both of those tribes.

Translations~!

Was - German for 'what'

Liebst du mich, Rom? - German for 'Do you love me, Rome?'

Sempiternam - Latin for 'Everlasting'

Hilfe! Meine Mutti ist verletzt! - German for 'Help! My mother is hurt!'

Guten Abend, gute Nacht... - German sleeping lullaby: 'Good evening, good night, concerned with roses. With carnations covered, slippery under the deck. Tomorrow morning, if God wills, you will wake once again.'

Schiße - German for 'Shit' )


	8. Chapter 8: Das ist Krieg

Germania woke up that morning feeling tired and sluggish. Unfortunately, this was now a normal feeling. The feather mattress did nothing to help. As he slowly got up, a heavily decorated bowl piqued his interest, holding very ripe and colorful fruits. Ever since the Romans had begun to create settlements in his land, he had been forced to live in one of those cities, under constant watch by the province governor. He was not the most kind of men.

Next to the bowl sat brand new clothes. A white toga with a dark blue and gold trim. Like all the other "gifts", it would be put away and forgotten. Germania had no desire to wear any of the Roman's clothing. Instead he dressed in his pale brown tunic and green pants. He didn't care that no one approved his choice of clothing. He was still a German, trapped in a marble-walled prison. Once dressed, he pulled his hair back and walked down the hall to check on his child. What he found was Gilbert naked, jumping on his bed as his black eagle swooped down and devoured the Roman toy soldiers.

"Teuton! Be decent and put some clothes on!" Germania went to the chest and pulled out a pair of clothes for the child to ultimately ruin by day's end.

"But Mutti, the Romans run around naked. Why can't I?" asked the hyper child. Although he protested it, he knew it was better to just listen. Quickly getting dressed, he went back to his games.

Germania began work on picking up the albino's mess when Varus came into the room. Dressed in his elaborate robes and laurels, he frowned when once more, the German failed to bow.

"Today we are appointing one of your Germans to the status of equestrian. You and the child are to be there for the ceremony." With his nose pointed to the ceiling, he left the room nearly huffing and puffing.

This was not a common occasion. Germania could not think of any other German that had been given such a high status. Making sure that Gilbert was dressed, he gently brushed the pale hair and leaned down to pick him up. He was stopped by a sharp pain shooting up his side. Instead of showing pain, he set the child back down and grabbed his hand. "How about you walk with me?"

"Alright!" Gilbert said and tightly held on as he jumped off the bed. "What will you do if I get too big to hold your hand?"

"I hope I never live to see that day. You will always be my little child and never too old to hold my hand."

The two arrived at the courtyard early and stood by Varus near the equestrian statue of Emperor Augustus. The ceremony started not long after. The few nobles of the city and others who had been curious to see a German, a barbarian, given such an honorable status were the only ones in attendance.

"For your bravery in the battle of Panonnia, I give you the rank of Equestrian." The man was given by Varus a new set of armor and weapons that would let all of the Roman Empire know his rank. After a sacrifice and the Roman ritual were done, the new equestrian passed by Germania. Not letting him take another step, Germania grabbed him by the collar, and spun him to look him in the eyes.

"What is your name?" Germania asked.

"Arminius," he said without hesitation.

"No. What is your name. Your _German_ name."

"Irmin.'

With that Germania was satisfied and let him go. He did not want to lose another of his people to the Romans. Taking Gilbert back inside, he set him back in his room.

"I have to go take care of things Teuton. I'll be home before day's end. I promise." With a kiss to his head, he left the child in the care of those unlucky few that were appointed to take are of him. Germania went to the stable and saddled his Roman horse. He preferred his own raised horses but there were none here. As fast as he could, he was out of the city and traveling down the road to visit his tribes.

Ever since the arrival of the Romans, the Germans were forced to pay hefty taxes that, for some, were next to impossible to afford. Varus was not a caring man. He had a habit of punishing anyone and everyone who failed to pay their taxes on time. As he moved through the thick forest, the totems and tributes that the Germans had dedicated to their gods had been taken down. All that remained were the Roman gods, new and foreign. On one of the old oak trees had been lifted up a beam. Tied to it was, a now very much deceased, German man. Just looking at the copse made the pain in his side hurt more than it already did. Ever since he had been forced to move to Augusta Vindelicorum, he felt constantly weak and pitiful. Germania knew that at the rate this was going, he would be able to survive such harsh treatments for much longer.

As Germania continues his trip through the woods, a very familiar an unwelcoming sound came from behind.

"Well, well. Save mi amo~"

He didn't need to turn around to know who had said those words. It seemed it was that time again.

"What do you want Rom?" Germania finally turned to look at him, shooting him an annoyed glare.

The Roman's smile and light heartedness seemed to block the power of the glare. "I came to see how my beautiful city is doing. And I came to visit you of course~"

Germania rode past him slowly, making sure not to make any more eye contact.

"Where are you going Germania~?" Rome quickly turned his horse and caught up with him.

"Vindelicorum is this way. You were heading the wrong direction."

"Oh. More reason for me to guild a road here."

"You shouldn't build something so permanent in a foreign land. You might not hold onto this land forever." Germania knew a road would increase taxes and such, something a good portion of his people couldn't afford.

"Off choice of words Germania. Are you planning something?" asked Rome with a sly smile. "I may have to punish you."

Germania instantly frowned at him. "Even if I had plans to stop you, I don't have the force to repel you. Not after you wiped out my people."

"Still uptight about that? I said I was sorry." He reached over to pat the German's back and was met with a punch to his chest.

"I told you to never touch me again!" The punch sent the Roman's arm away. He was not look forward to what the night would bring.

As they entered the gates of the city, Augustus and Ulrich parted their ways, each to do his own. Varus would show Rome the wonders he had performed in civilizing the barbarians. Germania would keep an eye on Gilbert and would make sure the nation wouldn't try anything stupid again.

That night Germania sat in bed knowing was going to happen. He was now property of the Roman Empire and he had no say in what Rome could or couldn't do. Germania's lands no longer belonged to him. They now sat in Rome's hands.

Almost as if on cue, Rome entered the room, wearing a long red robe that seemed to flow out behind him as he moved. "You have taken such great care of my cities. You have my thanks."

Germania paid no attention to the man that craved attention. Instead he just continued to sew and mend Gilbert's clothes for tomorrow.

Instantly Rome began to notice that the attention was off of him. He moved closer to the other, trying to show off in front of the man. But still, he was ignored. "Germania. Ulricus, why do you not pay any attention to me?"

Finally. A question worth answering. Looking up from the tunic, Germania continued to frown and only shrugged. "Because Augustus, I don't care for you. I just wish to return to my forests in peace, but you constantly refuse that request time and time again." With unbroken eye contact, he watched as the Roman was not pleased with that answer at all. "You and your people should return back to Italien where you belong."

Going back to the sewing, he hoped that the comments would put off the man to get him to leave, but that would not happen. Instead after a few minutes, he could feel kisses being pressed to his cheek and neck. For a time he just ignored it in an attempt that Rome would give up interest and go, but that wouldn't stop him. Not even the great Rhine would stop him.

"Come now Germania, you don't mean a word of that." He licked and bit down on the pale ear, hoping to turn the other on for sex, but it failed. Instead of the German's lips pressed against his, he was met with a shove that nearly knocked him off the bed.

This was the one day that Germania always hated. At first he had tried to fight off the man, but that never worked. Now his instinct was to just lay there and let him conduct his business, but that went against everything he believed in.

"Have I told you that you look beautiful today?" Rome pushed the clothing out of his hands and moved his body, already completely naked, over on top of Germania. "I just want to make love to you." His dark hands grabbed and pinned the German's by his sides to keep him from putting up a struggle.

It was impossible for Germania to fight back. He was too weak to do so under these conditions. His green eyes could only follow as the Roman's mouth kissed and caressed his neck, then his chest, lower and lower down. "Stop." But that wouldn't stop him. Germania's head leaned back as he felt that warm mouth around his vitals. With his hands held down firmly at his sides, he could do nothing to get away. "Augustus. I-I said stop." Words wouldn't get through to him. It felt like an eternity but soon the licking and sucking was getting too much. His back arched as he tried to hold himself back, to keep Rome from letting him know that he had actually enjoyed it, but there was no way he could.

"You always taste so good mi amo." Rome cleaned off his face and prepared himself for the exact same flush to come over him. Moving himself between Germania's legs, he held down those arms as Ulrich was hell bent on freeing himself from more humiliation. "I will be quick. Trust me."

Germania leaned his head up and hatefully spat onto his face. "Never." His look of determination was all he had left.

The spit did nothing to deter the sexually charged man. Instead he seemed to light a fire in him. With no warning whatsoever he pushed himself in and began his thrusts. Anyone still awake in the house would have heard the noises as Rome was much more forceful than before, causing the blond to cry out in pain. It felt as if he was ripping. Thankfully it didn't last long and the Roman finally released and laid back down next to Germania.

"I will miss you when I return to Rome tomorrow."

Germania turned away from him, feigning sleep. Knowing he was being ignored again, Rome just nestled into a pillow and fell asleep. With the other fast asleep, Ulrich quickly stood up, the feeling of the slippery sticky fluid dripping down his leg, and got dressed. Without a sound he left the room and traveled quickly to the child's room. With Gilbert still sound asleep in his bed, he laid down next to him and carefully caressed him like any good parent. Gilbert seemed to know, even in his sleep, that his parent's body was so close and instantly he moved closer and curled up. With that, Germania was fast asleep.

It was more than obvious that Germania wanted this cycle to stop, but he was completely unable to do so. Any kind of rebellion would be put down and extinguished by the Roman Army before it could even begin. As the months passed and Rome came and went, Germania put up less and less of a struggle until he just laid on the bed as Rome did his business. It was humiliating to say the least. What had happened to the proud German? Even he didn't know.

"Mutti! I ripped my trews again!" Gilbert ran up with a large tear in his pants and showed them off. Germania just sighed and shook his head. This was now beginning to become a daily occurrence.

"Well, you're just going to have to deal with it Gilbert. I am busy right now." Germania wasn't. He couldn't stop thinking about how pathetic he had become. As Gilbert went back into his little area of the gardens, an equestrian entered into the private area. His dark blue cape flowed behind him as he quickly walked towards Germania.

"I've come to request an audience with you." The tall Roman soldier knelt before the nation.

Germania instantly recognized him. "No permission is required to speak to a prisoner Irmin." He could not keep eye contact with his brethren.

Arminius continued to show great respect to the nation. His nation. "And I have the keys to free you. My father just passed and I am now the chief of the Cherusci. I plan on ridding Germania, your lands, of the Romans forever." That piqued the interest of Germania but not for the reasons that Arminius assumed.

"How do you plan on doing so? The Romans outnumber the Cherusi ten to one. You would never survive."

"I already have many that support the cause. The Marsci, Chauci, even the remnants of the Suebi and others have agreed and support the plan. The last person we need is you Germanien." He looked up at his nation with blazing eyes. "We cannot do this without our country behind us."

Something inside Germania said no. He couldn't. So much depended on him, Gilbert, his people, that he had to set his feelings aside for Rome. He couldn't keep this up any longer. "I will fight by your side."

Arminius instantly smiled as now he had the one thing that he required to continue. He moved to the marble bench and sat next to Germania, pulling out a map of the area and his plans. "Varus and his legions will be moving from Castra Vetera towards the Rhine for the winter in a few months. We plan to ambush them as they pass through Teutoburger Wald." The forest was completely out of the way of the destination and Varus knew better than to set foot in that forest.

"Varus will not go through the forest. He has no need to walk a dangerous path."

"But that is where we have the upper hand. I plan to give him false information about an uprising and lead him deep into the forest. Towards Kalkriese. If this works, when this works, the Roman chains that has kept you here for decades will finally be gone." Arminius spoke with such power and conviction, it was hard not to listen to follow him.

For now, Germania's feelings about Rome were set aside. All that mattered was to free his people. "Teuton and I will head to Castra Vetera by the end of the week."

And they did. The journey was nothing for Germania, but Gilbert whined and voiced his complaints that he was bored and that there was nothing to do almost the entire time.

"If you're in need of something to do Gilbert, you can drive the horse." Gilbert looked up at his parent with big eyes, almost as if the entire world had stopped. Was he really going to let him do such a task as lead the horse? Nodding quickly he reached for the reigns that his parent held.

"I wanna look awesome like you!" His small grabby hands wanted the strips of leather so bad. He wanted to prove that he was old enough to do this. With his hands firmly onto the reins, he didn't notice that Germania was still holding them behind his line of vision to let him believe we was doing it all by himself. It kept him quiet for the rest of the journey.

The small summer legionary camp was nothing to be flaunted. It consisted of a few permanent houses but mostly long lines of tents for the legionaries. Gilbert was fascinated by the amount of Romans in one spot. Germania looked at his opponents and felt his stomach drop. Arminius had a force of 10,000 while the Romans easily broke the 30,000 barrier. There was no way he could win this.

Almost as if on cue, the man walked out of one of the larger tents and greeted Germania with a smile. "It's good to see you two made the trip safely."

Dismounting the horse, Germania removed the child and set him on the ground. "Watch the horse while we talk." His voice sounded concerned. He swiftly walked into the tent and started to speak in their native tongue, making sure the Roman soldiers would not understand a word. Even then he refused to speak of specifics. "You cannot go through with this Irmin. You will be slaughtered."

"We will not meet them in open battle. The blow will come when they least expect us. Germanien, you must trust me." Again, he spoke with no shadow of a doubt.

The blond couldn't keep eye contact with Arminius. Instead, he looked towards the opening and saw Gilbert still standing there. "If I leave Teuton with you for a few days, you will take care of him, ja?"

Arminius nodded, happy to accept such a responsibility. "With my life Germanien."

"Good. I will return for him before your plan is put into action." With that he quickly exited the tent before he could be asked where he was going. Grabbing the horse's reigns from the child, he quickly mounted. His son looked up at him with a confused look. "Do not worry Gilbert. Irmin will be your guardian until I return." With that he hastened towards the south to the heart of the Roman Empire.

The streets of Rome were now familiar to the German, and it was a fact he was not proud of. Quickly moving past the crowds of people as he sped towards Rome's palace. It was a challenge moving through such an area but the masses parted as they preferred not to be trampled.

He would soon learn that he picked the wrong time to arrive.

As Germania quickly moved to through the rooms, he found Rome in his usual triclinium happily the center of attention. Both women and men were attending to his every need. He perked up the moment he saw the German enter the room. "Ah! Germania! It's been so long!" Quickly he stood up and embraced his 'friend'.

Almost instantly Germania could tell he was drunk. It was easy to smell the alcohol on his breath. "Rom, listen to me. Irmi— Arminius is leading your legions into a trap. You need to warn Varus and stop him." But it didn't get through.

". . .You speak nonsense Germania." Rome's loud laughter filled the room and those still on the triclinium laughed as well even though none had heard the conversation. "Drink wine with me and let us relax." His hand grabbed the German arm and tugged him towards the party. To the drunk it was just a light tug but to Germania it was a death grip. He tried to pull away but it was no use. As Rome laid him down onto one of the cushions, a wave of hands came down to keep him in place.

"Augustus! Stop this! You need to warn Varus! He will not listen to me." Germania tried to sit up but the hands pulled him back down. Rome leaned over him, smiling quite happily.

"I missed you Ulricus. Did you miss me?" he asked with a slow tongue.

The German fought back hard. As Rome leaned down to kiss him, he finally freed his hand and punched him across the cheek. "Listen to me arschloch!" The hands let go of him as Rome stumbled back, completely surprised at the action. Taking the chance, he quickly stood up and moved closer to Rome. "I'm trying to prevent a massacre."

Rome was no longer cheery or gay now that the taste of blood sat on his tongue instead of wine. "I have nothing to worry about. I am the Roman Empire, greatest nation to ever walk this earth! My army will not be defeated by some filthy barbarians from the North!"

The air around them was thick as those words slipped from his mouth. Germania needed no encouragement to go. Without a word he left, his words of warning dropped to the ground and forgotten by a mindless horde of drunks.

Not before long that fateful September morning came. Arminius was still with the Roman Legions while Germania stayed with the tribesmen. All were prepared for war. Weapons sharpened, armor repaired… All ready for the fight that would relieve them of the Roman rule that they had long dreaded. Teuton was with the rest of the women in children at the wagons, very much unhappy that he would not be apart of this fight. Even Germania was not sure of the outcome and was not going to risk the child's life. This way, even if he was taken prisoner, Teuton would be safe. Away from the Romans.

As the legions walked through the forest, it was impossible for them to line up in a usual marching rank. The trees and narrow path prevented it. They walked two abreast with their shields lowered and swords lowered.

Germania and his horde was less than a few meters away hidden behind a large wall of branches and twigs. It did nothing to cause alarm as it fit into the already thick forest. The men pressed up against the wall, watching and waiting for Germania's order. They would not move until he did. Even then he was having second thoughts. He had already passed the point of no return long ago. The only place to go from there was to war. Saying a soft prayer, he quickly stood up and jumped over the camouflage.

The Romans didn't stand a chance.

In a never ending flood, the Germans moved over the wall and jumped down onto the small lines of the infantry. Without much of a fight they were cut down and trampled over as the horde moved through the lines. Germania found himself lost in the blur of the battle. All were killed, not even the women and children were spared. A familiar face appeared in the fray.

Varus.

Pushing both Germans and Romans out of his way, Germania moved quickly towards the province governor, knowing that the only way to keep the man from coming back was to take his life. But he would be denied that. As he got close enough, it was easy to see the fear in the man's eyes. It was impossible to know what he feared more, death or disgrace, and Germania would not get that chance to ask him. Varus pushed his own sword into his body, falling to the ground dead.

Germania stood over the body, completely enraged his chance had been stolen. With one stroke of his sword, he sliced off the man's head and placed it on a pike. Mounting Varus' unattended horse, he flew down the lines of battle, flaunting off the dead man's head.

Now, victory was Germania's.

The line of Romans stretched for miles in both directions but none of them were able to stop the wave of Germans. The fighting lasted for days as the remnants of the army attempted to flee the forest with their lives, but no matter which way they turned, they were slaughtered.

"What shall we do these Germanien?" One of his fellow Germans, his name lost to time, pointed to a group of captured Roman soldiers. They had fought the hardest but it was all in vain. Bloody and dirty, they still had a look of determination even though there was no chance of them making it out alive. Germania saw himself in those eyes.

Walking over to the line of captives, he studied one, keeping eye contact with him. It was near impossible not to see the fire still in his eyes. "Sacrifice all of them. They will make good tributes to the gods." He didn't take joy in saying those words, but it was something he knew he people would be chanting for. "They will wish they had given up and died in the fighting."

News of the attack swiftly reached Rome's ears. As he walked down the halls with two women happily attached to his hip, laughing at everything he said, a loud cry came ringing down the halls. It was a sound he had never heard before and it was something he never wanted to hear again. Releasing his grip on the women, he ran down the villa until found the source of the cry.

On the floor was a basket and just a few feet away, was the head of Varus. His facial expression was not that of peace but of pain… anguish… disgrace. His boss rose his hands to the sky, almost as if cursing the gods.

"Quintili Vare, legiones redde!"

Instantly Rome knew. He knew what had happened. As Caesar Augustus saw the nation standing there in disbelief, he ran over and grabbed him, his eyes filled with rage. "Varus and three of my legions are gone because of your damn barbaric 'friend'. This is your fault Roma! Now fix it!"

It was an understatement to say that Rome had felt betrayed. He had given Germania everything, a beautiful house, technology, lavish clothes, anything and everything he could possibly think of. The women tried to comfort him with soft words and touches, but nothing could do so. He pushed both of them away and walked to his room to prepare to return to the north to find Germania, and his lost eagles.

Germania knew exactly where the eagles were. They were now his, stolen as profits of war. He had no desire of keeping them around. No reason to possess something that just brought up painful memories. They would be sold to the highest bidder or held for ransom. Whichever brought more profit.

The days passed and one by one each of the prisoners of war were sacrificed to a different god, in a different manner. None were pleasant by any standards but Germania didn't care. This was nothing compared to what Varus had made his people endure. The bones of the Romans littered the trees as they walked to their final sacrifice. The Roman soldier was bound and gagged to keep him from making any noise. He knew what was in store. It was quite obvious.

Bound to the largest rock in the clearing, the soldier began to spout off words of hate in Greek. Language of the common Roman. He never begged or pleaded for his life, only cursing the barbarians that they would be struck down one day by his gods. This time Germania would not lead the sacrifice. It would be Arminius. Almost sadistically he began to torture the poor soul as he lay there, helpless and unable to defend himself.

Sadly, the screams of agony were much better than a map for Rome. He moved through the forest, only wearing just the standard armor as opposed to his large and glorious gold one, he found the circle of Germans. They quickly drew their weapons to fight and take captive the unwise Roman.

"Wait!" yelled out Germania as he saw Rome. This is what he had been waiting for. For Rome to see just what he was about to do. The soldier caught sight of his nation and used all of his strength to keep himself together. But Germania was not done yet. "Have you ever heard of the Blut-Adler Augustus?" Germania's face was somber as he pulled out a large hunting knife from its sheath.

It was easy to see Rome was quite uncomfortable. He wanted to help him fellow brother but he knew there was nothing he could do in that situation. "No. I haven't."

Germania never broke eye contact as the soldier was rolled onto his back. "In your language it would be called 'Sanguis Aquila'. My brother Scandia taught it to me before I began living in Teutoburgerwald. The trick is to not cut too deep." Even he had to admit that the technique was a terrible one but it would be the retribution for all the suffering his people endured. This would be nothing compared to what he had been through by Rome's hand.

Taking one last look at the man's face, Germania plunged his knife into the man's back, just enough to start breaking the ribs. Rome lunged forward to stop him but he was held back by the Germans. The soldier began to scream, which even made his executioner sick, but Germania could not show any kind of weakness. Not now. Once all the ribs had been removed from the spine, they were stretched and broken out, giving the illusion of eagle wings. It was easy to see where they name came from. Even after all of that, the soldier was very much conscious, but he wouldn't have to suffer for much longer. Reaching into the open the chest, he pulled out the lungs and the screams came to an end.

Rome watched as the life slowly exited the man until there was nothing left. "You're disgusting."

It seemed nothing got through to his old barbarian friend. Germania handed his knife to Arminius and turned back to Rome. "And what of your Damnatio ad Bestias? Is feeding people to lions and other such beasts for the sake of public entertainment better than this?"

Before Rome could say another word, the Germans moved in on him and quickly bound his hands. They grew tired of the foreign conversation and saw Rome as another sacrifice to their gods, but Germania knew better.

"Back off!" He yelled to his horde. "I will deal with him." Rome looked up at the blond, his hands forced in an odd position. "I take no pleasure in this Augustus," Germania softly said as he grabbed those brown curls. Nearly dragging the man over to the blood covered stone, he forced his chest down onto it to expose his backside. Showing no hesitation, he pushed and ripped the clothes off the lower half of the tanned body, exposing everything from the waist down. The men around him cheered as they knew the humiliation was about to begin.

"U-Ulrich," Rome said as he turned to look at him, a bit of fear in his eyes. "Not like this. Not with others watching."

Germania would give him that. Turning to the men, he yelled at them to leave, and they did just that. They were fiercely loyal to their nation and what he said was to be done without question. Once completely alone, he reached down to his trews and unlaced them, exposing himself. "I take no pride in what I am about to do you, but you destroyed my people. Physically and in spirit. If this is what it takes to keep you away, I will do it a thousand times over."

Once more, a Roman's cries rang through the same area of the forest but this one was different. It was the cry of humiliation. Guilt ran through Germania as he continued. Rome's cries faded as Germania finally finished. Letting go of him, he cut away the ropes and dressed himself. "I never want to see you in my forests or my land again. Any Roman that steps past the Rhine, I will kill him Augustus. And I will kill you."

"Why did you do this Germania? I gave you everything I had." Rome's voice was soft and quiet.

"I did this for my people Rom. I couldn't keep watching them suffer like that. None of this was for my personal gain. Now leave."

With a proud stance, Rome slowly stood up, the ends of his armor easily hiding the damage that hand been done to him, and took off his cloak. He wrapped it around the body of the dead roman soldier and picked him up. He left without another word. Left with no eagles, just a tortured body.

From his forest, Germania watched as Rome finally did leave, crossing the Rhine alone. Once Rome was out of sight, a rushing feeling moved over him and soaked his pants and the ground below him. Something was wrong. The pain in his abdomen was intense. Doubling over, he was taken to his tent, stripped of his armor to see where the damage was, but there was none.

What was happening to him?

( Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up. I hope the next ones won't take as long as this one did. I may edit the end of this chapter later. I have class I need to get to.

This is based on the Battle of Teutoburg Forest. It was a decisive victory in which Rome never had a firm hold on Germania since.

By the way, the city in which Germania live in under Roman rule is Augusta Vindelicorum. It is now Augsburg in Germany.

Translation:

"Quintili Vare, legiones redde!" –Latin, "Quintilius Varus, Give me back my legions!"

Blut-adler/Sanguis Aquila -Literally means 'Blood eagle' in both German and Latin. It is a torture method commonly used by scandinavians. Death usually came after the lungs were removed from the chest as the diaphragm is what allows you to breath. Some were lucky enough to pass out from blood loss or shock before they could finish. It is used as a tribute to Odin. )


	9. Chapter 9: We Must Atone

As the men left for the battle, Gilbert had stayed behind with the women and the other children. 'To protect and keep them safe,' he had promised Germania, and that is exactly what he did every day. Prowling the edges of the encampment with his little toy wooden sword, he was bent on scaring off any Romans that tried to get close. All he succeeded in scaring away were a few birds, some deer and a raccoon that had tried to steal some of his food in the middle of the night. Every night he slept with his eagle snuggled close to his body. He refused to let anyone see how much he missed his mutti.

As a week passed and then the next, Gilbert began to worry. The people had received reports that they had won, but the men had stayed to clear out the rest of the decimated army and bury their own dead. One day as Gilbert did his daily routine of walking around the perimeter, he heard a faint sound coming from the forest. After staring at the shadows moving closer through the forest, he recognized the gold haired man that rode one of the few horses. "M-Mutti!" Throwing down his sword, he ran forward to him but noticed something different about him. "Was ist das?" he asked, pointing to the torn cloth that wrapped over Germania's shoulder and around his waist. It sagged as if something was held inside of it, keeping whatever it was close to the man's chest.

"I will show you later, Teuton." Germania leaned down and held out his hand, picking up the child and setting him on the back of the horse. As they entered the encampment, they were greeted by all, happy to finally be rid of the Roman oppressors. Gilbert was still very curious as to what was in the cloth, but said nothing as his parent's body made it impossible to see what was pressed to his chest.

Passing through the crowd of people slowly, Germania seemed to be focused on returning to his tent. Gilbert said nothing and jumped off the moment the horse stopped. "How many Romans did you kill? Was it bloody? Why couldn't I come?" The questions flowed out of his mouth, never ending as Germania dismounted and allowed his horse to rest. "Can I see that now?"

Walking into the tent, Germania nodded and held the flap open for him. Once inside, he pulled out from the cloth a small bundle of more linen. "His name is Ostarrîche." A small dark haired baby began to squirm a bit as he felt the shifting.

He was much smaller than all of the other babies that Gilbert had seen. Carefully reaching out, he patted the infant's head and looked up to his parent in confusion. "Did you steal him from the Romans?"

Germania shook his head and sat down on the floor, pulling Gilbert into his lap. Even he had not known of the pregnancy; the entrance of the baby in the world was as much of a shock to him as it was to Gilbert. Setting the small baby in Gilbert's arms, he helped him to support his neck. "You're going to make a good brother."

"No," said Gilbert as he shook his head. "I want to be an awesome brother!" As Gilbert stared at the newest member of their little family, he looked up to Germania with his red eyes giving a hint of jealousy. "He is my brother? Does that mean you met my vati again? Why can't I meet him?"

How could he explain such a sensitive topic to a little boy? Germania looked down at him, frustrated that he had asked that question again. Gently petting the baby's brown hair, he tried to think of an answer, but couldn't. "That is the last time that question will be asked in my presence Teuton. Do not bring it up again." His voice was stern and uncaring. It hurt him to sound so but he could never allow Rome to come near his children again—and this was a precaution.

Gilbert looked down, frowning and staring at the baby's features. He looked so much different than himself. Brown hair, purple eyes. Then again, he himself looked so much different than his mutti. Pale skin and hair and bright red eyes. He had never seen anyone else with similar features to him. Maybe that is what vati looks like, he thought. Or maybe his brother had a different vati than him… The appearance of the man was still a mystery. Until…

"Why does he have brown hair?" The child had found a loophole. It wasn't the now forbidden question, and maybe he would finally get that answer.

But Germania was one step ahead. "The Norns decided his hair and eyes would be such, just as they decided what you or I would look like If it were up to me, you and Ostarrîche would have blonde hair." He hated saying that. He loved his children, no matter what they looked like. At least with blonde hair, he could thoroughly deny Rome's connection to them. But then again, how long could he keep this up? Gilbert would only get older and the questions would only become more frequent. For now, he would just have to keep it a secret.

As the silence lingered in the tent, the tiny baby began to cry. The sound was barely audible as he was so small. It was a miracle he had survived for so long. The child was a clearly fighter. Germania pulled out the small bottle he had fashioned back in the forest; the baby's mouth was too small for any normal bottle teat so a special one had been made. The baby began to suck and settled down. "Will you feed him for a moment? I need to go speak with Arminius."

Gilbert happily nodded, ready to take on the role of older brother. Carefully holding the infant's head, he watched as Germania left. "Don't worry. I'm going to take really good care of you. Did you get to see your vati? I don't know mine. If we have the same vati, I bet you look like him. I have never seen anyone look like me! Maybe one day we can see vati together."

Germania heard every single word through the hide tent. It hurt him to hear those words. If only Teuton knew how right he was…

Ulrich's face was quite somber as he headed to the tent of the Germanic leader. He was ready to return back to the land of the Cherusci, to get away from the death and pain he had helped cause. "Arminius, it's time we return home."

The leader looked gaudier than usual as he turned to face him. "My name is no longer Arminius. It is König Arminius! König der Germanen!"

It was then that Germania noticed the set of laurels in his hair. His eyes glared at such adornments, as he had learned to hate everything about the Roman culture. "What is this? Was your plan to rid the Romans and replace their influence with yours? This was not a part of our agreement!"

Arminius was furious. "I am your king! You will listen and obey me!"

As much as Germania hated it, the man was right. If this was true, he was bound to the will of this power hungry man. His entire body attempted to take a relaxed position but he was unable to do so in his fury. "This is unlike you."

Arminius didn't seem to care; he ignored his nation and returned to his business.

It was an understatement to say Germania was appalled at the man's actions. He had so willingly followed every word Arminius had said and for what? To have his trust twisted and destroyed. He wanted to spit on the floor in front of the man but something held him back. He couldn't describe it. Instead, he silently left the tent wondering what would happen now.

It felt like a lifetime, but finally Germania arrived at home. The Roman cities and settlements were destroyed, burned and razed to the ground, though it was not the Germans that had done so. It had been the Romans themselves. Germania did not have the chance to ask Rome why he had done it; he could only assume it was to keep the German people from destroying or taking it over. It was good to see the Romans leave—but Germania could still feel Rome's strong presence in the land. It lived on, not with Arminius and his Roman-like desire for power, but with the two children now is Germania's care.

As he watched Gilbert happily prance and declare to the Gods that he was happy to be home, Germania couldn't help but wonder if Rome could feel the same thing? He had no idea if Rome even knew of Ostarrîche's life in this world. Even when he was away, Ulrich could feel his children's every breath. That was what he lived for now. The little ones would take his lands one day… one day when he was old and lived his life.

That night a celebration was held to celebrate the victory of Teutoburgerwald and the crowning of Arminius as king. Gilbert played with the children, all of them mimicking the adults in the rituals and dancing. Germania sat around the figure, watching the priestesses describe the battles and glory of Arminius. Ostarrîche was bundled against the growing autumn cold; he squirmed during the story telling. The experience of handling a newborn was nothing new to Germania, but he could tell this would be different. Gently holding and rocking the child, nothing seemed it would help. Then the music began to fill the air. It started to calm down the fussy baby; he was finally content. Every time the music stopped he would get fussy again but the moment it resumed he would calm down. He was passed among the women, who were infatuated with the tiny baby. None had seen such a sight. They began to give him nicknames, referencing his small, doll-like appearance. As the night dragged on Gilbert returned to his mutti's side, wanting to take care of his brother. The women found it adorable and sweet that he was acting so old. Only five years old physically and mentally, and he already had the women's affections in the palm of his hand.

"It's time to get you two to bed," Germania said, rising to pick up both of them, holding each in one arm. Gilbert attempted to protest, but he fell asleep before he could, with his head resting on Ulrich's shoulder. Germania carried his two greatest treasures home. He carefully tucked them into their own beds, but his moment alone with them was disrupted by a soft knock at the door. It was Arminius.

"I came to apologize. This is yours now." He held out a heavy bundle to his nation. "As a sign of your great victory over the Romans."

Germania unwrapped the bundle and stared at the golden eagle standard. Even in the moonlight it shone with an immense brilliance. The Roman numerals XIX confirmed Germania's suspicions. He only nodded and shut the door; pulling out his small chest, he placed the standard at the bottom, along with the ring and necklace. He wanted nothing to do with Rome. "Es tut mir leid." With that he covered the items and shut the chest, closing that chapter in his life.

That night, he lay in his bed for some time before falling asleep. He was woken by a loud clatter as things were moved around. In his quick motions to get out of bed, the sight of the childrens' beds empty set him in a panicked mode. On the ground was a very nude Ostarrîche; Teuton was running about trying to find a fresh cloth for a diaper.

"No, Mutti! Go back to sleep! I am going to take care of him!" It was only then that Germania realized that Ostarrîche was crying. It was hard to hear, even in the quiet still of the night. Standing up, he grabbed a clean diaper from a shelf just out of Gilbert's reach. With the great patience of a parent he guided his eldest on how to change a diaper. Gilbert was pleased with himself; the baby quieted once more.

"Did I do a good job Mutti?" he asked with a tired smile.

"Ja. You are a good brother," was Ulrich's reply, as he returned to bed.

"Und you're the best mutti ever!" Teuton followed along behind and climbed into bed with his family. Germania's arm easily caressed and kept both of the close. It felt good to be home.

As the years passed Ostarrîche grew swiftly, already on his way to catching up to Gilbert. Germania was lulled into a false sense of security that Rome would never return. That would all change as Roman vengeance, under the rule of a new emperor, swept through the land.

"Gilbert, I need you to take care of your brother while we are gone." Germania had donned his armor once more to beat the Roman out of his land. He and his people had spent far too long ignoring the problem. The two cultures would meet at the Weser River. Hopefully this would be the last time Germania would ever have to fight Roman soldiers. "I'll be back. I promise." With a few hugs and kisses he was out the door, leaving the village with the other warriors and Arminius.

Gilbert stood alone in the house, Ostarrîche on the floor playing with the albino's precious wooden eagle. "Nein! That's mine!" Quickly he retrieved the small toy from those chubby little hands. Instantly Ostarrîche began to cry, reaching out for it once more. It was easy to see for a moment that Gilbert felt bad about taking the toy, but then he slowly put on a pout. "Nein!"

"Mu!" the baby cried out. Anything he said had a musical pitch to it, making it easy to tell what expression or word he was trying to convey. At this moment, it was frustration.

"Mutti's not here. He had to go to fight!" Finally those sad eyes got to him. Hesitantly holding out his wooden toy, he looked away as he frowned. "H-Here. But you hafta give it back when Mutti comes home." The tears instantly stopped as Ostarrîche carefully reached out for it.

With a gleeful giggle he carefully held Teuton's eagle copying the love and attention he had seen his older brother perform. Ostarrîche made use of the skill he had only just mastered, and took his time to stand up and moved over to Gilbert and hugged him tightly. He made a humming sound that the little family interpreted as a sign of affection.

The days passed, Teuton was starting to break; without his Mutti there he felt quite alone. He and Ostarrîche would sleep in the large bed to keep in warm and hope that if he returned in the middle of the night, Mutti would be there when they woke. But that had yet to happen. "You know what I figured out Bruder?" he asked as they sat outside eating some of the food the other families had happily shared with the parent-less children. "You don't have a person name like me."

Ostarrîche didn't seem to understand as he sucked on his bottle. Big purple eyes seemed to give away his thoughts, confused about what Gilbert had said.

"My name is Teuton but the kids und Mutti sometimes call me Gilbert. You don't have a name like that." Gilbert looked thoughtful as he tried to come up with a good, strong name for his brother. "Ick kenne! Mutti's name is Ulrich and you can be Roderich!" It was hard for him to hide it, but he missed the blond. Maybe he could have just a bit of Mutti here. Maybe.

Pulling the bottle away from his mouth, Ostarrîche looked up at his brother and pointed to himself. "R-Roderich?" he slowly asked, putting his usual tone and notes to whatever he said. Gilbert smiled and put an arm around his brother to pull him closer. "Ja. You're Roderich now."

That night both Roderich and Gilbert ate their meals. This time they were prepared by the elder brother in his attempt to seem older than he really was. Their small dinner of rabbit and berries wasn't enough to end their hunger, but it was too late to go look for more. Once their plates were cleared they headed to Mutti's bed, saying a small prayer to the gods, for the safe return of their mother.

That night their prayers were answered. An hour before sunrise, a bandaged Germania slipped into the house and quietly put down his armor and weapons. Without a sound, he slipped into the bed and pulled his children close.

He needed the comfort. Now more than ever.

The battle had been a disaster. After two years of campaigning though the area, the Romans were finally returning. Arminius had made a mistake and met the Roman General Germanicus out in the open where he could use his eight legions to their fullest. Among the captives taken was Arminius' wife, Thusnelda. In his frustration and grief Arminius blamed Germania for the loss. Germania had also come home with something himself; a new scar had been added to the few that already lived on his body. Given to him by the general himself, it hurt worse than all the others.

That morning—the children awoke to a surprise. Although the bed was empty, the sight of the armor and sword was welcome. Roderich's squeal of joy quickly awakened Gilbert. It took a brief moment for Gilbert to see the amour but something felt wrong about it. It wasn't clean, the dried patches of blood still visible. Roderich had never seen anything like it before and didn't understand. Instead of reacting to the sight, Gilbert just hugged his little brother and put on a smile for him. "Mutti's home!"

Roderich's happy noises were gladly received in the empty home for they had been sorely missed. Both were more than ready to see Germania again. Heavy footsteps outside the door signaled to the boys that their mutti was just outside. As if with one mind, they both laid back down and feigned sleep. Through just barely opened eyes, Teuton watched as Germania walked in with a few small rabbits. His eyes hungrily watched the small game as they were placed on the table to be skinned later As Germania walked toward the bed, Teuton's stomach gave them both away with a loud grumble.

"Come help me with breakfast, Teuton." Germania carefully patted the albino's hair; before he could pull his hand away both his sons were firmly latched onto him.

"We missed you lots, Mutti! Did you miss us?" Teuton asked with big eyes, while Ostarrîche hummed in approval. Both boys were scooped up into Germania's arms and kept in that much needed warm embrace. "Ja. I missed you. So very much." For now, Germania could hold his children without the worry that the Roman would be lurking the shadows to take them

However, their time was cut short by a furious knock at the door.

"Germanien!" The voice of Arminius was easy to hear not only in the nation's residence, but in most of the surrounding area.

"I won't be long. I need you to skin the rabbits, Teuton." Setting them both down, Ulrich headed out to meet the self-imposed king. "Make this quick Arminius."

The German frowned at the lack of his title. "I came to apologize to you for earlier—but it is clear you don't deserve it."

Didn't deserve it? It took everything Germania had not to retaliate. "Tell me why I do not Arminius." He was only making the situation worse.

"My wife, the queen, was captured by the Romans because of you! She would still be here if you weren't so weak! What happened to the strong man I fought alongside of at the Teutoburgerwald?" Before Germania could debate the statement, Arminius left, still clearly frustrated.

Those who had heard the outburst came out of their homes now that he was gone. They stood by Germania's side and told him to just ignore the irrational man. But Ulrich knew he was still under Arminius' rules, no matter now irrational he was.

"The day is soon coming where he will no longer be king and we will be free people again."

Hearing those words, Germania didn't know whether to rejoice or speak against it. Instead he returned inside to his family…

The years passed by slowly as peace returned to the area. Although it wasn't perfect peace – a few talks of revolution were common place- it was still welcome. Roderich continued to grow and was now walking. He had the freedom to venture out but he always made sure to stay by Germania. His vocabulary grew to include words that did not contain a tune, though his singing and humming was a grateful addition to the home.

The only one who seemed to be unhappy with the now-grown toddler was Gilbert. Every day they fought over the worn wooden eagle. Germania was fed up and decided to end it.

"M-Mutti!" Roderich cried as he ran towards his comfort. "Gilbert took the eagle from me again!"

Germania picked him up and wiped his tears away. "But it's Gilbert's eagle. Do you think he likes it when you take his eagle?"

"Nein… bu– "

"Would you like it if he took your eagle?"

The child was stuck in a predicament. "Nein," he replied solemnly—as if his entire world had ended.

"Then don't let him take your eagle." Germania held out another wooden eagle, very much similar in appearance to Teuton's—except Ostarrîche's had two heads, making it easy to tell them apart. "Go play with your eagle now." The child happily accepted and hugged his parent, enthralled with his new present. Carefully scurrying down, he ran off to find Gilbert and play his very own wooden carving.

Germania watched him run back to Gilbert, showing off his own eagle. It seemed now peace was made between them, for now they were equals. Leaning against the framework of the door, he watched with a parent's gaze as the older boy taught his brother how an eagle hunted. They worked on their dives, scooping up unsuspecting imaginary rabbits, taken away and feasted on.

While lost in his thoughts, Ulrich was approached by one of the men in the village. "May I have a word with you, Germanien?"

The blond took a moment to reply, his green eyes still locked on the children playing. "Ja?"

"Siward wishes to speak to you. It's a matter of utmost urgency."

The name was commonly spoken of in the village of high regard but Germania had never spent more than ten minutes talking to the man face to face. To be asked to appear before him seemed irregular but he did not protest. Pulling himself away from his offspring, he walked over to the warrior's house, only to learn that this would not be a private conversation. Inside the hut, five of the older men, those who had held power long before the rise of Arminius. Germania was approached by the red haired Siward, who brought him closer to the circle. An unsettled feeling arose in his stomach. He knew why he was here.

Siward pulled out his hunting knife and held it toward Ulrich, hilt first. "It's time to put an end to our 'king'. He promised to remove the Romans from the land, only to install himself as a king in their absence."

As much as Germania had no desire to admit it, it was the truth. Arminius had gone back on he had promised.

"Come now Germanien!" cried out an elder.

"Take it!"

Ulrich began to reach out but stopped cold. The elders stared at him in disbelief.

"If you won't, one of us will," warned Siward.

He could not make eye contact with the men. It was not that he didn't have the courage to perform such an act. The emotion he felt was guilt. Guilt for letting it come to this. "I will do it, but with my own blade. I am the reason he rose to power, I should remove him."

Leaving the building, Ulrich headed to the longhouse solemnly. This had to be done as soon as possible, like an arrow, sharp and quick. It was easy to gain an audience with the king. He always made sure to have time to speak with his Nation.

"Ah, Ulrich. Come speak with me. I make plans to attack a Roman settlement in Gaul. Show that cocky man that our power is still strong."

"Nein. The people will not go to war. Not again," Germania protested.

Such words stopped Arminius in his tracks. "They will go to war for their king demands it."

Germania shook his head to enforce his earlier response. "This peace we've had, the people want to keep it."

"Are you one of the conspirators trying to kill me?" the man asked, almost too hastily. "Because if you are, I will execute you for treason. And with your immortality..."

Germania cut him off before he thought could be finished. "Nein. I am not one of the conspirators." One last time, he bowed before his king. Rising, he slowly brandished his hunting knife. "I am them." Before Arminius could react, Germania plunged the weapon deep into the man's heart. He prepared himself mentally for the pain that would come with Arminius' death.

"W-Why...? I gave you... everything you w-wanted..." The dying king slumped back on his throne, struggling to take a breath.

"You gave me my freedom and then held it hostage. I act not alone, but through the will of the people. You have no one to blame but yourself."

Arminius opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. His teeth and lips were stained with his own blood. Reaching forward with a shaking hand, he tried to grab a hold of Germania—to harm or beg for forgiveness, the intent was impossible to know. Instead he fell to the ground, dead.

The expected pain never came. Nothing to indicate the event had even taken place. The pool of blood was soaked up on the front of the tunic, spilling out onto the floor and crept close to the assassin. The blue eyes, still staring, seemed to watch him walk away.

Siward and the others were waiting outside to meet him. "Is the deed done?"

Germania only nodded. There were no words he could say. Instead of celebrating with his people, he quickly walked off to the forest. None of this felt right. Why didn't he feel anything? No guilt. No pain. Just…emptiness. Walking to the bank of the Weser River, it finally sank in that his hands were stained with the blood of the king. No, not the king… he had just been a man. He was never his king. Just a man. Dipping his hands into the river, he washed them clean to hide his actions. He didn't want Teuton or Ostarrîche to see. They did not need to know death at such an early age. Such things could wait.

Everything finally hit Germania as he washed his face. No pain. It meant that Arminius had strayed so far from the path he was no longer one of Ulrich's people. This was a feeling he had never experienced before and never wanted to again. Kneeling over the water, his tears of frustration and pain mixed with the water still on his skin. It was finally over…

( Sorry it took so long to update. I was working on a timeline and outline for the rest of the fic. And I am severely stressed out by school. Good news for you guys, I am moving in with someone who is a huge fan of the fic and has promised to help me work on it night and day and work towards bi-monthly updates during summer. We'll see how that goes.

The battle that is briefly mentioned is the Battle of Weser River. The Romans retrieved their eagles and returned home victorious.

And Arminius had a brother (only known as Flavius by Roman records) and I did my best to try and incorporate him but it didn't help with the flow of the story. So I am letting you guys know, I know he exists, I just couldn't add him.

Time to get to work on the next chapter. Thanks for being so patient! :3

Don't forget to follow me on tumblr for sneak previews of chapters and plans of upcoming chapters and characters. )


	10. Chapter 10: The Teutoburg Forest

It was that time again. Germania had risen from bed earlier than usual to prepare himself for the day's events. It was boar season and each family was preparing to send their men off to bring back a beast for food and other such necessities. Seeing as both Gilbert and Roderich were far too young for the trip, they were to stay home. Dressed in a heavy tunic for the cold day ahead, he prepared his quiver and bow, making sure the arrows were sharp to pierce through the boar's thick hide. Those that didn't pass the test were sharpened by running them across a strip of leather; he prayed to the goddess of bow hunting, Skadi, to bless his arrows. He needed this hunt to go well. The meat would easily feed the family for months, providing food for the night's festivities, fur for warmth for the coming winter months, and smoked meat to be eaten later.

And even though he had attempted to be as quiet as possible, the little ears of his children picked up on the movement without much effort. Rising from his shared bed with Roderich, Gilbert sat up and rubbed his eyes. "M-Mutti..." he mumbled out as he slowly reached for his wooden sword. The other slowly stirred as the warmth left the bed.

"It's alright Teuton. Go back to sleep. It's not even sunrise yet." Germania did not look up from his preparation as he tied his belt on.

"Nein! I want to go with you. "Gilbert grabbed his dirty tunic and sleepily attempted to put it on to join the tall blond in his hunt. "No boar stands a chance against the awesome me."

Germania picked him up and set him back into the bed, not letting him get away. "Your job is to protect Ostarrîche. I thought we agreed that." The stubborn child instantly sat up and tried to get out of the bed once more. "When you are much older I will take you on the boar hunt, but for now your job is to watch Ostarrîche. I can't trust anyone else with that task but you."

Such words were just enough to keep Gilbert at home. "Ja Mutti…" He sat in his bed as Roderich stirred to life.

"Mutti? Why are you leaving?" Roderich looked up from his pillow with sad purple eyes. "Do you not love us anymore?"

Germania slipped on his cloak, setting it on with the bronze pin. "Teuton will be taking care of you today. I will be back before nightfall with food." With that, he leaned down and kissed both of their heads.

Both children watched as he walked to the door to finally leave with the rest of the men. Just before the door shut behind him, Teuton was there to bid farewell.

"Bye Mutti! Don't die!"

Germania instantly stopped and looked back at the child. He always said something along the lines of that before he left to do anything. Before he turned back around to leave, he gave one last message to Gilbert in case he attempted to leave the house. "Goodbye Teuton. May Woden look after you and Ostarrîche. There is a large wolf hunting the area and taking little boys away that step outside without their parent's permission, to drag them off to the forest to feast on their flesh as they cry out in sheer agony." With a look of horror, Gilbert shut the door and barricaded him and Roderich inside.

Ja. That worked.

No one entered the forest together. To each man, their responsibility was for their own catch. Germania entered at the farthest reaches of the village. He preferred to hunt alone. It was not that he didn't trust anyone, it was his time to be alone. While he was hunting, he was no longer a physical manifestation of a nation, a father of two small children, nor the enemy of the Roman Empire. He was just a hunter. Animals did not bow to those of higher rank. All were equal in Teutoburgerwald.

With his long hair tied back to keep it out of his face, Germania crept though the bush, silently stalking his prey. Broken branches were his guide to his prize. As the sun sluggishly moved through the thick canopy, the animals in the forest stirred to life. Birds sang, squirrels leapt from branch to branch and finally… There it was. The entire reason Germania had come. A large brown boar scraping the tree with its long sharp tusks took little to no heed of the Germanic nation. Out of stupidity or other, he did not seem to care. Moving closer, he slipped the arrow into the bowstring and pulled back. The sinew rolled gracefully off his fingers and sent the arrow flying towards its target. In the whistling noise, he could hear Scandia's voice…

"Don't leave me alone!" Scandia cried as he held onto his brother's shirt. "What if a wolf tries to eat me?"

Theodericus stared at his little brother as he grabbed the small woven basket, left to them by their mother. "Niklas, I am going to get dinner. I won't be long. Stay by the tent and I told you to start calling me Ulrich. I don't like that name!" The blond children looked at each other with similar emotions. One was sad the other irritated, but they were both worried.

"Just ask the people to share some of their food with us, that way you won't have to leave." Scandia wiped tears from his face. The brothers lived in a small tent, away from the rest of the villagers. To tell the truth, Ulrich had no connection to the people. He felt like he didn't belong and that was not his teenage hormones talking. Niklas had warmed up to them instantly. Having a better understanding of their powers and duties as nations, Ulrich knew these weren't his people and he would have to leave soon to find his land, just like their sister had done…

"I'll be back before dark. I am only gathering nuts and rabbits for dinner." Ulrich pointed to his small hunting knife on his belt. With that, he was off into the forest. His small rabbit traps worked…in a sense. The animals had been lured by berries and fell into a pit due to an unstable top, hidden by foliage. They had been stuck, until they jumped out of the shallow pits. Ulrich cursed at the gods loudly and bit his lip, trying to keep the tears back.

It was while he wasn't paying attention that something sneaked up on him from behind. Ulrich's tears and sobs made it impossible to hear the sound of something moving through the bushes. A loud squeal caught his attention. A small baby boar moved towards the crying child in curiosity. This had to be a gift from the gods. Pulling out his small hunting dagger, he grabbed the piglet's ear to keep it from running. This squeal was much shriller and louder than before. Before the boy could even react, he watched as the mother boar, tusks sharpened, charged at him to protect her offspring.

Ulrich had no time to move. Dropping the knife and letting go of the boar, he ran as fast as his small legs could take him. But it wasn't fast enough.

A searing pain moved up Ulrich's back as the boar gave one last squeal. Walking over to his prize, he retrieved the arrow and looked down at the animal. It let out raspy, shallow breathes as it struggled to stay alive. He knelt down next to the creature and began to gently stroke his head. "I thank you for helping to keep me and my sons alive. May your spirit find peace and rest in the next world." His knife moved swiftly across the animal's throat and with that, the forest was silent again.

With his prize on his shoulders, he walked back towards the village. Towards home. But as he came within view of the house, he saw something strange. Something different, but familiar. The horse at the door way was not his, nor anyone else's that lived in the area. Setting down the boar, he got a small glimpse of the bridle, and the elaborate decorations finally told him who was here. Throwing open the door, he found his boys sitting near Rome as he told a story.

"And then I stood up and declared 'Veni, vidi, vici'!" The Roman looked up just in time to see a boot flying in his face. Before he could react, he was on the floor with the boot pressed against his face.

"What did I tell you? Stay the hell away from me and my family!" Germania's voice thundered in the house as he pressed down harder. The boys didn't say a word or protest their father's actions. They knew better than to say anything when Germania was this mad.

Rome turned his head to the side to try and save his nose from being broken. "I didn't come for the boys! I'm here for you!"

Bad choice. Germania ground his foot harder into the olive skin. It never struck him that Rome was not fighting back. That he was just laying there without drawing his weapon. "You're a disgusting pervert!"

"I need a bodyguard! I am willing to pay!" Rome grunted from the force of the boot.

"What makes you think I have need of your Roman gold?"

"It doesn't take a genius to see that your barely making ends meet."

Germania stopped and pulled his foot away, although this time, it came to rest on Rome's chest. "My life does not concern you."

Rome's face did not stop showing pain as the boot removed itself from his skin. There were marks and dirt on his face. "Is it wrong for a person to worry about their friends?"

With that, Ulrich stepped back and stood in front of his children as Rome finally stood back up. He couldn't help but look at him with a confused look on his face. Friends? Since when were they friends? Germania had completely massacred the Roman legions over a decade ago. Could he have already forgotten? "So you want me to come live with you in your capital as your bodyguard? What of my children? What shall I do with them?" The last thing he wanted to hear was that he would be allowed to bring them with him.

"No. Just you Germania." Rome gave him a smile and started walking to the door.

"And what would you have me do with the children?" Germania didn't know if he liked that answer or not. Alone with Rome… That could lead to a number of things; none of which Ulrich wanted to experience.

"I recall that you have a sister. Leave them with her. From what I know, she has a son of her own so they will have someone to play with." He opened the door with a smile and peeked back in. "I'll have your villa ready by the month's end. Vale Germania~"

And with that, the Roman was gone.

Germania stood in his house completely speechless. For once, the encounter with Rome hadn't ended with sex or a fight… Though Rome had a point. He was in desperate need of money and farming wasn't going to cut it this year. Only a few families in the village would be able to feed every family member.

"Mutti?" Gilbert's soft voice finally broke through the silence in the house, terrified to even speak up. "Are you going to leave us?"

Germania looked down to the two small boys and felt that pain from the looks in their eyes. It was something he had not been prepared for. Kneeling down, he scooped both of them up into a tight hug. "I must. I don't have much for you two to eat and with this job, I would have enough for that." He didn't want to leave, but in reality, he had no choice.

Within the week, both boys had their things packed into the wagon and the home was left in the stead of a local family.

"How long will you be gone then Mutti?" asked Gilbert as his wooden eagle was busy getting pecked to death by Roderich's two headed one.

"I imagine a few years. Not very long. Just enough to get through the hard times." Germania honestly had no idea how long he would be gone. After all, employment didn't last a lifetime, did it?

Through the forest they traveled and over the Rhine. With the boys settled at Gaul's house, they quickly became friends with the woman's son, a blonde child that looked very similar to his mother in every way.

By the end of the month, Germania was in Rome. A place he had never hoped to see again in his lifetime.

( I would just like to apologize to my readers for my severe lack of updating. The story has been worked on in a sense, but I have just had difficulty with everything. I moved to a new city and started at a new school so that has been… fun.

A special thank you to all those who have stuck by me and will continue to read. Hopefully I will be able to get back into the swing of things and get this back on track.

A Merry Christmas to you all. And thank you. )


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